Edible Words—Luci Shaw

We’ve invited the renowned Christian poet, Luci Shaw, to take over the Substack this week. Luci is the author of more than 35 books of poetry and these poems come from her latest volume, An Incremental Life.

For more poetry from Luci Shaw, pick up her new book, An Incremental Life (Paraclete Press), or order a copy of the Rabbit Room’s book of interviews with well-known Christian poets, An Axe For the Frozen Sea.

by Luci Shaw

If I must eat my words,
or open my mouth to speak
small poems for you

to read at lunch, may they taste
delicious, as nourishing as
manuka honey, that antipodean

sweetness said to heal and
comfort the soul, mend wounds
and correct minor disorders

of the body. After a honeyed
meal, I resolve to speak only truth,
my words rinsing away

falsehood and injury. May my voice
carry mercy music, sweet-tasting,
tingling with a fervent truth.

---

Copyright: Luci Shaw. Used by permission of Paraclete Press

Luci Shaw was born in London, England, in 1928. A poet and essayist whose writing has appeared in numerous literary and religious journals, in 2013 she received the tenth annual Denise Levertov Award for Creative Writing from Seattle Pacific University. The author of over thirty-five books of poetry and creative non-fiction, since 1986 she has been Writer in Residence at Regent College, Vancouver. She lives with her husband, John Hoyte, in Bellingham, WA.

For more resources on art and faith, sign up for our other newsletters: Poetry, Music, and Articles.

To support the work of the Rabbit Room, join us by becoming a member. Your membership helps fund everything from publishing new books to new podcasts, events, poetry, articles, theatre productions, conferences, and more. Membership is vital to our flourishing, and we’d love for you to participate. Click here to join or learn more.

Photo by Danika Perkinson on Unsplash