reposting the previous poem, and asking a question.

in the afternoons,
in the almost  empty fields,
i hum the hymns
i used to sing

in church.
they could not tame me,
so they would not keep me,
alas,

and how that feels,
the weight of it,
i will not tell
any of you,

not ever.
still, as they promised,
God, once he is in your heart,
is everywhere –

so even here
among the weeds
and the brisk trees.
how long does it take

to hum a hymn? strolling
one or two acres
of the sweetness
of the world,

not counting
a lapse, now and again,
of sheer emptiness.
once a deer

stood quietly at my side.
and sometimes the wind
has touched my cheek
like a spirit.

am i lonely?
the beautiful, striped sparrow,
serenely, on the tallest weed in his kingdom,
also sings without words.

why do people decide who is not welcome in the community of God? and, yes, i include paul as a person here. the Church hurts too many people.

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ramblings…and a poem.

so, i use statcounter and have seen many people checking in on my blog to see if i’ve said anything. as you guys know…i haven’t. there are some things in life i’m just not gonna talk about on a blog, and then there are other things in life i will talk about on a blog, but those things aren’t happening. i’m working almost 50 hours a week right now working two different jobs. the money is helpful, but i’ve been tired.

i just got the new harry potter book last night. who knew abilene had so many interesting characters…including professors in the gst? interesting, indeed. i have yet to start the book, but i look forward to it.

when it comes to poetry, i’ve been reading a lot of mary oliver and wendell berry lately, as well as the all consuming memoirs. i love memoirs. i’ve been reading biographies and autobiographies since i was a small child. my new favorite memoirist happens to be nora gallagher. if you have yet to read her stuff, get cracking! but, really, she’s quite good. she just came out with a novel called Changing Light that i have yet to read, but i have read Practicing Resurrection and am almost finished with Things Seen and Unseen. her books are a must read, in my opinion, but they will also challenge you, which is good, i think.

i am now going to share a poem with you from mary oliver. she is a Christian lesbian who is a fantastic poet, writing much about nature and faith. if you love robert frost, you should definitely give her a chance! her comments in the following poem about not being able to be tamed by the church and therefore not being able to stay are profound, and sad. thankfully, God can be found elsewhere. the poem is entitled “The Beautiful, Striped Sparrow”:

in the afternoons,
in the almost  empty fields,
i hum the hymns
i used to sing

in church.
they could not tame me,
so they would not keep me,
alas,

and how that feels,
the weight of it,
i will not tell
any of you,

not ever.
still, as they promised,
God, once he is in your heart,
is everywhere –

so even here
among the weeds
and the brisk trees.
how long does it take

to hum a hymn? strolling
one or two acres
of the sweetness
of the world,

not counting
a lapse, now and again,
of sheer emptiness.
once a deer

stood quietly at my side.
and sometimes the wind
has touched my cheek
like a spirit.

am i lonely?
the beautiful, striped sparrow,
serenely, on the tallest weed in his kingdom,
also sings without words.

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back in abilene

hey guys and gals,
i’m back in the states and in abilene. more later. but…the trip was fantastic!

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