White Magic

Colleen Hildebrand

I have tried to be small and quiet
in your life—to have the grace
to let you be
who you are
becoming

But my thoughts have sometimes grown
too large and loud
They burst through my breath
and before I think
I’m shaping air into sound,
casting spells through careless words—
like black magic
without intent.

Can I now—
if my reproach, shouted ugly, has brought this
reality to bear—
whisper reparation, a charm, a prayer
that can mend the broken cord,
speak our world whole?  

In my silence
I’m searching for the magic words
to spell out the love you deserve.

---

Colleen Hildebrand
A lifetime resident of Louisiana, Colleen is an author, artist, and educator. With over thirty years of classroom experience, Colleen aims to help others find beauty in creative processes of both art and life, even when those present challenges. In the Ether: A Memoir of Holding Space is her first book.