December 2016

 Donna Hilbert
donnahilbert@gmail.com

Shortly before he was killed, my husband and I moved to a rattle-trap beach house on the peninsula in Long Beach. Going to sleep to the sound of the surf and waking to dolphins and pelicans sustained me through the almost unbearable grief. Making the place habitable gave me a task; writing gave me purpose. I am still here, loving the place, taking nothing for granted.  www.donnahilbert.com

What God Wants
God has given you this beautiful day, and what have you given God?
                                                             -man in front of Union Station, Los Angeles
I can’t imagine God
wants a fatted calf.
Surely She knows better
than to feed on a fad
diet.  As for sacrificing 
firstborns, that’s been
done to death.
Perhaps God would like
something in cashmere.
How about a Rolex?
Or bright yellow Hummer
that says get out of my way!
Maybe God is not
a glutton for consumption,
but an over-worked
mother who wants a day off
to lie on the sofa,
sip Diet Coke and watch Oprah— 
a little peace
and quiet for once.
Someone else to pick up the kids
and make dinner
while She soaks in the tub.
Then later, with everyone seated
around the same table,
She would like just one meal
where no one spills milk
or complains
about the food set before him,
no one kicks at her brother
or pinches his sister.
Just one meal
to be eaten in gratitude
to be eaten in peace,
is that too much to ask?
Is that too much to want?

-from The Green Season, World Parade Books

©2016 Donna Hilbert

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