"Grace" Poem by Linda Pastan

Grace by Linda Pastan When the young professor folded his hands at dinner and spoke to God about my safe arrival through the snow, thanking Him also for the food we were about to eat, it was in the tone of voice I use to speak to friends when I call and get their answering machines, chatting about this and that in a casual voice, picturing them listening but too busy to pick up the phone, or out taking care of important business somewhere else. The next day, flying home through a windy and overwhelming sky, I knew I envied his rapport with God and hoped his prayers would keep my plane aloft. "Grace" by Linda Pastan from The Last Uncle. © W.W. Norton, 2002. Reprinted with permission.

It's the birthday of poet Linda Pastan (books by this author), born in New York City (1932). She's the author of more than a dozen poetry collections, including A Fraction of Darkness (1985),The Imperfect Paradise (1988), Carnival Evening (1998), and most recently, Traveling Light (2011). She once said: "I often write poems in my head to distract myself during hard times. ... Years ago, after a car crash, while I lay waiting for the ambulance, I actually finished a poem I had been working on, determined not to die before I had it right."