Her sixteenth birthday party is tonight.
In the next room, the Lord lets there be light.

She earns a double English-French degree.
In the next room, the Hebrew slaves go free.

She hates her first job, finds a better one.
In the next room, the Son of Man is born.

She marries, gets promoted, buys a house.
In the next room, they nail Him to a cross.

The man departs, she finds a cat instead.
In the next room, He rises from the dead.

“My dreams were coming true—I knew they would.
But nothing has turned out the way it should.”

She beats the cancer, builds a second story.
In the next room, He comes again in glory.

Published in the September 26, 2014 issue: View Contents
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Sarah Ruden has published several books, including, most recently, The Face of Water: A Translator on Beauty and Meaning in the Bible and a new translation of Augustine’s Confessions.

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