Poem Of The Day: Praying Skyscrapers

This poem was written after visiting the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, Spain.

Reaching. We always end with reaching.
Craters in a cross
Holy lips sipping a public fountain
Thousands of photos
on the steps where we bleed
where we
have bled
still flashing our flesh
My sneakers bearhug the earth
like a mother holding her child
after he has run away
After he has come back to pray
He was reaching. His sneakers untied, laces skipping gravel
he was not ready to walk on.
But here
his little feet
will sing
up and down the aisle
of the Almudena Cathedral
where windows braid into sky
where pews lullaby each other to sleep
where ceilings folds into rainbow fans, faces like hands, creased and ready.
Old feet sigh here
Step up, high
Tears in color
Mighty cries

Amanda Dettmann

Contributor

Amanda is an avid traveler who calls Maine her home, but her favorite places include Amsterdam's Christmas markets and Shakespeare's Globe in London. She is passionate about poetry, theatre, and teaching writing to kids and adults with disabilities. She thinks the best part of traveling is hearing strangers' incredible stories. Her ultimate mission? To find the tastiest cappuccino in the world.