Thank you. That was beautiful. I love the paragraph that begins, Poems run deep….They travel with us through our many ages and stages. They show up in odd places and come back in odd moments. But like a steady drip of water, a single poem met a thousand times through the course of a life can reshape the hard rock of our hearts. It can bore a hole right through us, so that when the heart comes to its final beats, it pulses with a poem said and sung across a life
Awesome reflection on this! I was literally just reflecting on this in my recent essay, too. I noticed that there's even a deeper connection across the entire Biblical narrative and cosmic story that often has poetry and song being given as the last thing before death. I noticed how God gives Moses a song before he passes, and that ignites the tradition of sanctifying song and poetry, which Jesus then steps into further with what you've pointed out here.
This is such a beautiful thought. I will think about this for a while and it matched an Easter song I love - Andrew Peterson's song about Jesus' last words.
Amazingly beautiful and so inspiring, incredible. Intriguing! As a poet who often writes Christian poetry, your thoughts will surely haunt me! Wonderful
Agreed. Thank you for this. So far this year, I have discovered the richness of RS Thomas and Gerard Manley Hopkins and William Blake. Stunning, amazing things with so much to say about life and belief. Keep up the good work.
What poetry brings to crucial events is not a lilting rhythm or rhyming sounds. Poetry brings sight to and insight into the easily-missed transcendant reality peeking out from behind the obvious senselessness of human sin. Thus, it remains a call to understand. We find comfort because we see the fuller reality.
Sorry, didn’t mean to post that yet! Anyway, that was a beautiful essay. I so agree. The church has lost its connection to poetry. I actually just bought your book and can’t wait for it to arrive! My mother died in July. She was 90. She had cancer. Even in her pain, she wrote a haiku every day. Her last words were haikus. We didn’t know it at the time. Only on reflection. She too saw the poetry in the psalms and in Jesus. She wrote a book on psalm 119 that builds on this idea. I really think you’ll enjoy it!
oh I started listening to Poetry for All just a couple months ago but had no idea Abram is a Christian! What a wonderful surprise.
Also, this is very through provoking (and true) -
Poems run deep. They travel with us through our many ages and stages. They show up in odd places and come back in odd moments. But like a steady drip of water, a single poem met a thousand times through the course of a life can reshape the hard rock of our hearts. It can bore a hole right through us, so that when the heart comes to its final beats, it pulses with a poem said and sung across a life.
Thank you, brother! Beautiful, true, and, therefore, inspiring! This will make me look at poetry in an entirely different —better and more profound— way! I'm already thinking about those poems we don't even recognize as poems...
My love of language came from The Liturgy of the Word, the mellifluous language of The King James Bible (you can debate the accuracy of the translation but not the power of the language), the Psalms. When they started rewriting hymns, Liturgy, Bible passages for modern readers it lost the magic for me, the familiar cadences, the words that felt sacred. I loved, for instance, the word countenance even as a very young child. I wonder now if I was in awe of God or language.
Thank you. That was beautiful. I love the paragraph that begins, Poems run deep….They travel with us through our many ages and stages. They show up in odd places and come back in odd moments. But like a steady drip of water, a single poem met a thousand times through the course of a life can reshape the hard rock of our hearts. It can bore a hole right through us, so that when the heart comes to its final beats, it pulses with a poem said and sung across a life
Awesome reflection on this! I was literally just reflecting on this in my recent essay, too. I noticed that there's even a deeper connection across the entire Biblical narrative and cosmic story that often has poetry and song being given as the last thing before death. I noticed how God gives Moses a song before he passes, and that ignites the tradition of sanctifying song and poetry, which Jesus then steps into further with what you've pointed out here.
This is such a beautiful thought. I will think about this for a while and it matched an Easter song I love - Andrew Peterson's song about Jesus' last words.
Amazingly beautiful and so inspiring, incredible. Intriguing! As a poet who often writes Christian poetry, your thoughts will surely haunt me! Wonderful
Agreed. Thank you for this. So far this year, I have discovered the richness of RS Thomas and Gerard Manley Hopkins and William Blake. Stunning, amazing things with so much to say about life and belief. Keep up the good work.
I'm deep in Hopkins right now and Thomas is next on my list!!
What poetry brings to crucial events is not a lilting rhythm or rhyming sounds. Poetry brings sight to and insight into the easily-missed transcendant reality peeking out from behind the obvious senselessness of human sin. Thus, it remains a call to understand. We find comfort because we see the fuller reality.
that's such a wise way to put it - "the easily-missed transcendant reality peeking out from behind the obvious senselessness of human sin"
Thank you for this thoughtful reflection, Abram. I always enjoy your thought-provoking writing and teaching.
Sorry, didn’t mean to post that yet! Anyway, that was a beautiful essay. I so agree. The church has lost its connection to poetry. I actually just bought your book and can’t wait for it to arrive! My mother died in July. She was 90. She had cancer. Even in her pain, she wrote a haiku every day. Her last words were haikus. We didn’t know it at the time. Only on reflection. She too saw the poetry in the psalms and in Jesus. She wrote a book on psalm 119 that builds on this idea. I really think you’ll enjoy it!
https://a.co/d/6zlmBm6
Thank you.
Amen, His last breath before resurrection in the most beautiful form of language for comfort. Connection. Hope.
oh I started listening to Poetry for All just a couple months ago but had no idea Abram is a Christian! What a wonderful surprise.
Also, this is very through provoking (and true) -
Poems run deep. They travel with us through our many ages and stages. They show up in odd places and come back in odd moments. But like a steady drip of water, a single poem met a thousand times through the course of a life can reshape the hard rock of our hearts. It can bore a hole right through us, so that when the heart comes to its final beats, it pulses with a poem said and sung across a life.
Thank you, brother! Beautiful, true, and, therefore, inspiring! This will make me look at poetry in an entirely different —better and more profound— way! I'm already thinking about those poems we don't even recognize as poems...
Beautiful reflection - thank you!
My love of language came from The Liturgy of the Word, the mellifluous language of The King James Bible (you can debate the accuracy of the translation but not the power of the language), the Psalms. When they started rewriting hymns, Liturgy, Bible passages for modern readers it lost the magic for me, the familiar cadences, the words that felt sacred. I loved, for instance, the word countenance even as a very young child. I wonder now if I was in awe of God or language.
This is so beautiful!
Yes! Yes! I, too, have felt this and included it as a key feature in my first book of poetry. Beautiful. 🙏🏼
I’ve never thought about it this way but I will never NOT think of his last words as a poem from now on! Thank you.