1 Poem by George Cassidy Payne

Already Here

If God is everywhere, always,
why do we feel so far away?
Why do we speak of aligning
as if love were a distant star
we must steer toward?

Perhaps God’s love is not a beacon
to call upon,
but the air you breathe,
the ocean you swim in,
always here, whether
you notice or not.

But then, why pray?
Why seek?
Why cry out
as if love were missing?

Perhaps it’s not about stepping in,
but realizing
you were never outside.
A fish does not need
to summon the sea.
A bird does not beg
for the sky.

And yet,
the mind forgets. So we drift—
not away,
but into thought,
into noise,
into forgetting
what is already ours.
And when we call to God,
it is not to make love appear,
but to open our eyes
to the love that never left.
It’s like walking in sunlight,
blindfolded—
remove the veil,
and there it is,
warming your skin,
as it always has.

So what is this need we feel?
A hunger,
a thirst—
but not for what is absent.
It is the ache
of remembering,
the longing to wake up
to the fullness
we have always carried.

And when we stop searching,
when we stop striving,
we simply breathe.
We let go,
and love is there—
already,
always,
here.

Bionote

George Cassidy Payne is a poet, writer, and crisis counselor based in Rochester, New York. His work spans poetry, philosophy, and social justice, often exploring themes of identity, memory, and the human experience. Over the past 20 years, George has worked with diverse communities, integrating his passion for language and empathy into both his writing and professional life. His poems have appeared in various journals and anthologies, and he continues to seek new ways to connect through the written word. George is also a trained crisis counselor and has worked with individuals facing mental health challenges and suicide prevention.