Cliche, I know, but how can you mention God and poetry and not show a tree? And look closely at this tree. I think God has a wonderful sense of humor. I hear Him when He makes a tree like this...by accident.
I was reading poetry in the bathtub. I think it was Mariana's grandmother, Molly, one of those southern ladies who as she aged lost the gentility assigned to the region of her birth and spoke her mind, who said that one shouldn't ever talk about bathing or showering because it inspires unbecoming pictures in the mind. Thank you, Molly.
I was relaxing, reading poetry. A popular poet -- which to some is mutually exclusive words -- named Billy Collins. Reading good poetry makes me feel good. Something about how it does put pictures in my mind and in the painting of those pictures let's me see meaning vivid detail. Here's a poem I like by Collins. Reminds me of my English teaching days at Lipscomb High:
Introduction to Poetry
By Billy Collins
I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide
or press an ear against its hive.
I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.
I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
I was reading poetry just before I picked up The Daily Bible to read today's reading. Maybe it's like how eating one food will change the taste of the next thing you put into your mouth -- never eat onion before drinking milk -- so reading poetry seemed to change the taste of Paul's letter in my mind. And I heard Paul's poetry this time. I know this isn't a big revelation that there's poetry in Paul's writing. Just something that piqued my interest today. I've never been a big fan of Paul's. He's so passionate, so sure, telling people whether or not to get married and how to cut their hair. Maybe a big braggadocios though they say it's not bragging if it's true. But Paul the poet I find I like.
He who has ears to hear, listen to the many small poems in today's reading [the line breaks are mine]:
"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ.
And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God."
"But we have this treasure in jars of clap
to show that this all-surpassing power is
from God and not from us.
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not in despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed."
"Therefore we do not lose heart.
Though outwardly we are wasting away,
Yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."
"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed,
we have a building from God,
an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands."
"...through glory and dishonor,
bad report and good report,
genuine, yet regarded as imposters;
known, yet regarded as unknown;
dying and yet we live on;
beaten, and yet not killed;
sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;
poor, yet making many rich;
having nothing, and yet possessing everything."
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