Litany

By Cody Cook

Copyright ©2025

I reached without asking,

Drawn to her shape

Like gravity’s pull.

She teaches my skin,

A lesson in patience,

One can’t learn without pain.

Heat blooms on my cheek,

I must remember her strength.

A lesson I want to learn twice.

But she does the counting.

Marked by her precision,

Permission as devotion,

Her benevolence cultivates gratitude.

Every strike is a gift.

Every bruise a litany that reads:

You are worth correction.

You are worth teaching.

You are mine.

Can you take more?

About Cody Cook:

Cody Cook is a writer based in St. Louis, Missouri. His work has appeared in Blood + Honey Lit Mag. He is working on his debut chapbook, which explores the intersections of devotion, reverence, and power. Twitter: @codycookstl