Cat Nap Revival and Other Poems
by Elizabeth Hudgens
cat nap revival
some days i feel like that kitten
you know the one,
perilously suspended,
claws extended, digging in
that fluffy encouragement
to just hang in there
too saccharine sweet for my taste
a cuteness overload intended
to make me forget
that life is hard a delusional
platitude of self reliance
when what i need is rescue
i long to close my eyes now
like we did at sixteen
shut them tight against it all
a few seconds of relief and then
sighing deep open up wide
again bright with laughter
we pretended at refreshment
because we didn’t need it yet
we were unaware of the future
not grasping how these dry
old bones would one day
ache for You to breathe revival
make sense
lids raised straining against
the weight of weariness
allowing light to flood
in Love
tongue ready receiving each
morsel with flavor filled
bursting to nourish
with Grace
skin exposed to varying degrees
handling this transfer of external
conditions entering the body
as Truth
ears attuned intently as echos
deep reverberate to bring soft
resounding songs of glory
with Hope
nostrils flared wide drawing in
earthy scents fragrant with
death turned over
to Life
wrestling
teeth clenched set in anticipation
eyes fixed with squinting focus
muscles flexed full of tension
sizing up my competitor
i crouch and circle slow
seeking to engage
a slight nod with open arms
speaks of kind willingness
to endure my grappling
patience in the face
of this contentious
struggle for hope
victory sought through wrestling
brings blessing unconventional
your humbling touch bolsters
a heart whose deepest desire
was a striving for embrace
i limp away prevailing
Elizabeth Hudgens lives in South Carolina with her husband and three mostly grown-up kids. She has been writing for several years with the aim of encouraging her friends and family to see the redemptive beauty of Jesus all around them and has a newfound love for attempting to do so through poetry. She longs to live an intentional, embodied, faithful life as a partaker of grace and a participant in the gospel.