the fossil record

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An Atheist Prays the Rosary

Not once but daily.
Not to see what it feels like

but because I know.
Aloud, not silently,

at home, in the office,
on trains.

Climbing an invisible ladder
at night, in dreams,

toward an unspeakable light
whose distant origins

lie deep near a rock
in my belly

which can be felt
both awake and asleep,

the same always,
as the rumors suggest.

John Darnielle