Brooke Adelman

A Faultfinder Contending with the Almighty

Fountains from the enigmatic deep burst forth
Through the blackened heavens surrounding us, 
Infants wailing on the rocky floors forgotten in the panic and unable to swim, unable 
To stay afloat. Lives barely started before being blotted out of existence like the 
Mistakes we were, that our riven black-gauzed hearts had made us to be.

Ethereal singing rushes down through a great window drowning
Out our discordant screams that ricochet off the walls of the flooding valleys.
We cling to slippery cliffs with no hope of reaching
The top. Clawing for grips on rocks, clawing at each other
Pulling brother and sister underwater in attempts to stay afloat and alive 
For a minute longer although not forever. Our forever will be in turmoil.

Blood-trodden water slips over our skin, fleeing
From our sins that cannot be atoned for, will never be atoned for.
Are our lives not of equal value as the few who watch from the 
Wooden haven in the distance floating above the fearsome waves?
Chosen by a God who did not choose us, will never choose us.
Why didn’t he choose us?

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Brooke Adelman is a sophomore at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI, pursuing a double major in Linguistics and French. This issue features Brooke’s debut publication. In her free time, she enjoys reading 18th century French literature, befriending any dog she meets, and exploring local coffee shops.