Sunday, February 15, 2009

week two

words

i’ve been trying to reach you
climbing a tower of words.

babbling words-
dead ink-

my heart
cannot speak this language,
so it smiles politely and nods its head,
and pretends to understand.

but your words are not like this.

you opened your mouth
and creation said “yes”
and appeared from nothing-
day and night
oceans and land
and me-
all this with a few words.

i want to hear you this way.

i want to hear you in
flesh and blood
and blinding colors
and music that carries me to you.

can you carve your meaning
into my heart?

will you say to the motionless ink
“rise and walk”?

Thursday, February 5, 2009

poetry anyone?

Sarah over at a warrior princess and a set of wings wrote the best poem the other day, and it inspired me to post some of mine. I've been writing a workbook for our church that will be used for a five week series on imaginative prayer. Cool project. And for each week, I wrote a poem to accompany the exercises. The poems are all prayers. So, for your reading enjoyment (and hopefully also for your spiritual nourishment), I give you the poem for week one:

waiting

i am here.

i’m in this place, waiting for you.

i’m waiting like those wise men,
following a star like a fool.

i’m waiting like jonah
covered in the slime and scale of the sea,
deep in the belly of darkness
hoping for a rescue.

i’m waiting like your mother
pregnant with fear and love.

i’m waiting like our first parents
in the stillness of the garden
listening for your footsteps.

i’m waiting like you did
on the day I was born and
you spoke my name into the world
and said I was good.

what a surprise to find you
already here
so quiet-
waiting for me.