Praying

To quiet your despair

I made a paper chain
for us.

Spent hours in quiet lamplight
meant for midterms

cutting thin strips of time,

each day glued
into color-coded months

as my fingers pressed firmly
as though it mattered

if the day came

Jae Newman

Jae Newman works in Rochester, New York, where he lives with his wife. He is currently working toward his MFA in poetry through a brief-residency program at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky.