DEAR GOD
Dear God, Thank you for haircuts and chicken and friends that stop by without texting you first
For 4 a.m. trips to 7-Eleven, the drive-in movies and decorative mugs on a rainy day
For cinnamon buns, laptop cases and knowing your best friend’s Subway order by heart
Dear God, Thank you for patterned flip flops, kind strangers and makeup brushes
For Nick Jonas songs, 2 a.m. on a summer night, and homework by the fridge light
For red cars driving down London Avenue, watching to see which raindrop will win first, and fireflies at night
Dear God, Thank you for Christmas lights, thrifting stores and hand-me-downs
For retweets and expensive sweets.
For astrology, royal blue nails and Nancy Drew books
Dear God, Thank you for messy buns, oversized sweatshirts and open curtains
Thank you for piggybacks and podcasts
For quiet afternoons driving through an unknown town, glass Coke bottles and lockscreens
For Buzzfeed quizzes, peach tea and rollercoasters
Dear God, Thank you for small jewelry shops, quiet, empty offices, and downtown
For souvenir shops, dirty Converse and Sharpie tattoos
For tanlines, church bells and High Street on a summer evening
For the freshly mowed lawn, cherry popsicles, and Maroon 5
Dear God, Thank you for classic red dresses, bakeries and store mannequins
For lemon water, April showers and soul sisters
Thank you for stars in the dark, sunflowers and road trips
And for sharing music taste, summer sales and overalls
Dear God, Thank you for empty churches, mirrors and dancing in the rain
For succulents, Polaroids and reading by flashlight
For denim shorts, scones and Pinterest
For long showers, pomegranate scents and computer backgrounds
Dear God, Thank you for bubblegum and brick walls
Thank you for sunny Fridays, wooden benches and old playgrounds
Thank you for people changing people, everything happening for a reason, thank you for life being lived.
Amen.
—from 2019 Rattle Young Poets Anthology
__________
Why do you like to write poetry?
Lydia Phelps: “The reason I like to write, not just poetry but anything fictional in general, is because it’s an escape from reality. You can use nothing but imagination and creativity for hours on end and the possibilities are absolutely endless. And at the end, you have a product you’re proud of, and that’s a feeling nothing else can replace. That is why I love to write.”
