You call me your enemy,
but you do not know me.
my fears, mistakes, worries and woes
strengths, courage, and resolve.
You think we lap water from the same moving river
in the same way,
but you are mistaken.
Every winter will fall,
all piercing winds will bite,
bombs will continue to incinerate
our markets, streets, sanctuaries and sanity
until annihilation’s scythe falls with its last blow.
Your grandchildren and my own will no longer
gather fragrant wildflowers in the fields.
You tell yourself
you have no need to know me.
Our loves are lofted away with the unsettled seeds of spring.
I am waiting as time closes its gates of possibilities.
Only peace makes us impregnable.
Seek to know me, forever.
Michael Shoemaker is a husband, father and Christian who depends on grace every day. He is a poet, photographer and writer from Magna, Utah. Michael is the author of a poetry/photography collection Rocky Mountain Reflections (Poets’ Choice, 2023) and Grasshoppers in the Field (New Harbor Press, 2024, anticipated release in August). His works have appeared in Today’s Living Christian Magazine, The Penwood Review, Valiant Scribe, The Christian Courier, Spirit Fire Review, and Pure in Heart Stories. Michael has been awarded an artist residency for poetry and photography at the Wolff Cottage in Fairhope, Alabama for October 2025.
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