O CHRIST, BE CLOSER

O Christ, be closer
Closer than my afflictions, and
closer than my health
O Christ, be closer
Closer than my fears, and
closer than my hopes
O Christ, be closer
Closer than my solitude, and
closer than the crowd
O Christ, be closer
Closer than my failures, and
closer than my successes
O Christ, be closer
Closer than my nightmares, and
closer than my dreams
O  Christ, be closer
Closer than my memories, and
closer than my visions
O Christ, be closer
Closer than my life, and
closer than my death
O Christ, be closer

“O Christ, Be Closer” received the Nellie Flory Memorial Award from Explorer Magazine in 1998.

This poem was reprinted in Time Of Singing: A Journal Of Christian Poetry, Winter 2015/16.

Photos and poem are by Ellen Grace Olinger.