Ali, The Custodian, Who Takes Away-

who wakes up, in the dark

(plaid flannel, thermos coffee)

to hurry to

the triangles of brown, spiky glass at the end of the slide

the dripping, red words on the kindergarten door;

(every night, the other mom said to me, they come every

single night)

who wakes up, before the backpacked children

arrive

and call out to his smile as they fly past

(Hi, Ali!

Hi, Ali!)

into the fresh of a new, new morning,

into the mercy, have

mercy

have

mercy

on us.

Rose Kovacs is a student at VST, mother of four, and an avid tea enthusiast. She is pursuing a Master of Arts in Public and Pastoral Leadership with a specialization in Spiritual Care. Her past work includes non-profit educational development in North Korea, and she looks forward to serving as a spiritual care practitioner in health care settings. You can read more of her poems on Instagram: @rosecollinskovacs.