Held By the Unseen

Introduction:

This poem was created from a community prompt asking for one unedited line about faith. The italicized lines are the original contributions from participating poets—woven into a new piece reflecting surrender, belief, and grace.

Held By the Unseen

I prayed with empty hands,
and He still filled them—
not all at once,
but with the patience of someone
who knew I’d drop what I wasn’t meant to hold.

Like loose ropes,
I held still to that belief
in things unseen,
gripping the silence,
letting go of my need for proof.
I mistook absence for indifference,
until breath returned to places I thought had died.

I questioned my worth for years,
until His voice, gentle as a summer breeze,
whispered how He formed me
from His own reflection.

And I saw it—
not in a mirror, but in the way
the light kept falling on me,
even when I was trying to disappear.

Though I cannot see You,
You uphold me right from the start.
Without You,
I would fall apart right from the start.

So I stay.
Not because I understand,
but because something holy
keeps stitching me together
with thread I cannot name.

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Author’s Note:

There’s something powerful about asking people to speak without polishing their words—just one line of faith, as it is.

This piece is a reflection of that. A few voices, some vulnerability, and a thread of hope running through it all.

Thank you to Mung (@non_talksick_munga), Ellie Hoovs (@elliehoovs—also writing on Vocal), and Mitchell Leiter (@mitchleiter1977) for being part of this. This wouldn’t exist without you.