Category Archives: Poems

Bright Spot

Today’s most outstanding bright spot came as a reminder – from the priest, no less – at the pulpit, of all places – during 9:30 mass:

I need not ever struggle for unity with the divine – The Christ has come and my humanity is made holy.

I need not even surrender to the divine, but only embrace it – him, the son, and through him the father, because of the spirit.

The awesomeness of the Trinity  is too much for me to force myself to make it a poem tonight – it would be squeezed and crumpled, instead of vastly detailed and smooth, but it cried out to be posted; so this is it, but maybe tomorow…or the next day…..

Stir my soul,

Stir my soul,
my God, let your spirit
cover me,
wake me,
for now I fall asleep dreaming of you
only to wake bleary, and forgetful.
Send your Spirit to rest
beneath me,
beside me,
like the small child who climbs,
crawls, creates his own space
and sits atop my hip, triumphant,
as I lie resting on my side at midday;
he nudges me with his whole body,
rocks me with his bouncing,
laughs to me when I open my eyes.
Stir my soul, Lord, like that –
boundless, persistent, desperate, joyful,
for I fall asleep dreaming of you
only to wake bleary and forgetful.

Advent Chain

Our advent chain is cut
from years-old construction paper,
faded green, pink, red.
The still-unlooped-strips lie flat
and slightly crumpled in the “stuff cupboard”
until I move them to the stairs
until I move them to the piano
where the tiny pile sits for weeks.

I did not toss those loose pieces
in the Christmas box in January;
now it is one day before June
and I realize Jesus is Forgiveness.

The colored, crooked bits of paper bear notes,
in tentative, and young, and solid hands, (and scribbles, too)
on how we are like Jesus;
this year I discover a theme,
and it’s not just “forgiveness,”
it’s quick-forgiveness.

There’s a special soul living here
whose capacity for this virtue is unparalleled.
Grace swirls around her,
invisible, surprising,
lilac and honeysuckle on the breeze.

Though the advent chains will
tear
and rip
and scatter,
quick forgiveness will
hold us together.