Miracle of the Fish

If you were to imagine God as a character in a story, what would God be like? Like a human? More like some other kind of creature?

What kind of personality would this character have? (Don’t go with your first thought. Keep brainstorming and try an idea that’s four or five ideas down the list.)

In a poetry writing workshop I took earlier this year, one of the assignments had us writing a poem that explored God as a “character.” I decided to try one a little wild, a little ambiguous, and extremely hard to catch. I wrote the poem as a Haibun, a form combining prose with Haiku:

Miracle of the Fish

Dressed in layers against chill morning air, I climb a hill to walk along the levee. Blue herons already stand near the bank. An eagle perches above in a branch, looking out across the water. I let my eyes wander along the tree line for timid, untamed things lingering there, seeking safety and food as creatures do. Perhaps I also watch for you, not so wild but just as willing to crouch near the edges of things, maybe even now – alert and attentive – watching for those who’d watch for you. Unsure whether you hunt or hide, I know only that I seek nourishment, too. 

Blue herons wait, legs  
planted in shallows like they
know the fish will come.

– Callie J. Smith