Praise for the sight of a glory-sky
For the stormshine, and backlit cumulus
Praise for the refined design
of the cage which did not collapse
For the flexible strength of the seatbelts
For the unseen layer of windshield—
sparing us from shards
when we rolled, glass shattered.
Praise for stopping
right side
up.

For quiet after the racket
For blood’s salty taste in the mouth
For the fresh sheen of light on wet asphalt.

Praise for Dave from Montana, volunteer fireman
For Subaru’s safety engineers
For the director of Fillmore emergency services whose name is Una Ray
Praise for the protection of the hard collar and the backboard
For the steadiness and speed of the ambulance
For the coffee shop-sized trauma center in the middle of Millard County
Praise for the doctor’s practiced hands
For the kindness and humor of nurses
For careful stitches three layers deep
Praise for the skull, exposed but not cracked
For the integrity of the spine,
fractured, yet still intact
Praise for the friend who drove a hundred miles to retrieve us,
and a hundred more
to return us safely home.

And for you, dear friend, reading this
Praise for your good, strong bones
For your blessed flesh
For the vigor of your vulnerable heart
For the daring design of your spine
Praise for your next breath—

Praise for any help that comes
Praise for that which does not collapse
Praise for another chance at this
to remember some shining
to hold what is broken
to find, once again, a way home.