Walking out of the river,
     we feel heavier.

We recalibrate so swiftly
     when submerged

in the authority of matter.
     The water meets us

as we slip into its logic.
     We are boosted up,

pushed, and must respond.
     Thirty minutes later,

we aim our weary skeletons
     toward land, reach

out to borrow some backbone
     from rock and soil.

It is unwilling to share with us,
     the shaky creatures

so quick to denounce change
     as just a phase.

—Hannah Stephenson can be found at thestorialist.com.

Copyright © 2012 by the author or Christianity Today/Books & Culture magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Books & Culture.