A Liturgy Before Writing A Poem—Ben Palpant and Douglas McKelvey

"What I mean, O Christ, is this: I would like to write a poem today."

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This liturgy is from Every Moment Holy Volume 3, a collection of liturgies from over 60 writers on topics as diverse as baking bread, beginning an artistic work, receiving rejection, and more.

A Liturgy Before Writing A Poem

by Ben Palpant and Douglas McKelvey

O Christ, the Eternal Word from whom
all other words draw meaning,
I am hoping to find a way
to say a thing that cannot
be expressed in common speech.

Like one who hunts
a sacred hart through
darkling woods,
I am stalking an epiphany
that has till now
eluded me—a boding
notion, a half-uttered ache,
a fluttering of wings flashing
in the periphery of my vision.