Before the water stirs,
he counts the leftover ripples:
the way a weary heart
keeps its own tally
of almost‑miracles.
He has learned the language
of stone and shadow,
how light falls
on the faces of the hopeful,
how footsteps slow
when someone thinks
perhaps today is their day.
Then a man he does not know
kneels beside him,
as though the dust between them
were an altar.
No angel troubles the pool.
No sudden shimmer.
Only a question,
gentle as a hand
lifting the corner of his life:
Do you want to be well?
He has rehearsed
every answer but the simplest.
He whispers it anyway: yes,
and feels himself rising
as though the word
had always waited
inside his bones.
David Anson Lee is a physician, poet, and essayist whose work explores the meeting place between faith, healing, and the quiet graces of everyday life. Born on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and now living in Texas, he writes with a deep sense of place, gratitude, and wonder, drawing on his background in both medicine and philosophy to illuminate the sacramental texture of ordinary moments. His poetry often reflects the humility of caregiving, the beauty of creation, and the subtle ways God stirs within human experience.
Dr. Lee’s poems and short prose have appeared in a wide range of literary journals, and he is continually inspired by the Catholic contemplative tradition, Indigenous storytelling, and the simple clarity of lived faith. When he isn’t writing or caring for patients, he enjoys distance running, exploring the natural world, and studying the quiet wisdom of Scripture in the early morning hours.
He believes poetry can serve as a small doorway into prayer, an accessible space where image and grace meet, and hopes his work helps readers recognize the presence of God in daily life.