in this post, i wish to share the lyrics of a few songs, and another poem by mary oliver. i hope you enjoy.
Little Summer Poem Touching The Subject Of Faith by Mary Oliver
Every summer
I listen and look
under the sun’s brass and even
into the moonlight, but I can’t hear
anything, I can’t see anything —
not the pale roots digging down, nor the green
stalks muscling up,
nor the leaves
deepening their damp pleats,
nor the tassels making,
nor the shucks, nor the cobs.
And still,
every day,
the leafy fields
grow taller and thicker —
green gowns lofting up in the night,
showered with silk.
And so, every summer,
I fail as a witness, seeing nothing —
I am deaf too
to the tick of the leaves,
the tapping of downwardness from the banyan feet —
all of it
happening
beyond any seeable proof, or hearable hum.
And, therefore, let the immeasurable come.
Let the unknowable touch the buckle of my spine.
Let the wind turn in the trees,
and the mystery hidden in the dirt
swing through the air.
How could I look at anything in this world
and tremble, and grip my hands over my heart?
What should I fear?
One morning
in the leafy green ocean
the honeycomb of the corn’s beautiful body
is sure to be there.
the following song hit me as i listened to it. i just wanted to share the lyrics with you. it’s beautiful.
hold the light – caedmon’s call – from overdressed
it’s been a long year
like a long sleepness night
Jacob wrestled the angel
but I’m too tired to fight
every Wednesday
for two years we’ve met
I’ve showed you all my anger,
my doubts and bitterness
there was no judgment in your eyes
just the silent peace of God
that felt so real in you
will you hold the light for me?
and I stay up late
because I cannot sleep
I don’t want to face the quiet
where its just God and me
I’m waiting for the gavel
handing me the sentence down
because I don’t believe forgiveness
or even repentance now
I want to feel redemption
flowing through my veins
I want to see with clear eyes
beyond lust and hate
I want the war to be over
and know the good guys won
and I want love to hold me
to know I’m not alone
standing around a willow weeping
we were praying in the backyard
in the chill of the night
the friendship light reminded me who we are
another song that has hit me in the past couple of weeks is agnus dei by rufus wainwright. i was exposed to it on jared cramer’s blog http://www.jaredcramer.com/?p=845
here are the lyrics:
Agnus dei
Agnus dei
Qui tollis peccata mundi
Agnus dei
Agnus dei
Qui tollis peccata mundi
Dona nobis pacem
Dona nobis pacem
pacem
Dona nobis pacem
[Translation:]
Lamb of God
You who take away the sins of the world
Lamb of God
You who take away the sins of the world
Give Us Peace
Give Us Peace
Peace
Give Us Peace.
these lyrics are quite beautiful. the way he sings them is amazing. jared has a youtube performance on his website, and you can find the song on itunes, as well. rufus is a gay man who is crying to God to give us peace, and identifying Christ as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. i think the whole world needs to hear him crying out like this, but the church especially needs to hear this, though i expect some might say that why he is crying out for peace is because he is gay. consider, though, that it may be how the church treats homosexuals.
another song that hit me lately is jesus in new orleans by over the rhine. it brings up the question of where jesus is in this world. here are the lyrics:Jesus In New Orleans
The last time I saw Jesus
I was drinking bloody mary’s in the South
In a barroom in New Orleans
Rinsin’ out the bad taste in my mouth
She wore a dark and faded blazer
With a little of the lining hanging out
When the jukebox played Miss Dorothy Moore
I knew that it was him without a doubt
I said the road is my redeemer
I never know just what on earth I’ll find
In the faces of a stranger
In the dark and weary corners of a mind
She said, The last highway is only
As far away as you are from yourself
And no matter just how bad it gets
It does no good to blame somebody else
Ain’t it crazy
What’s revealed when you’re not looking all that close
Ain’t it crazy
How we put to death the ones we need the most
I know I’m not a martyr
I’ve never died for anyone but me
The last frontier is only
The stranger in the mirror that I see
But when I least expect it
Here and there I see my savior’s face
He’s still my favorite loser
Falling for the entire human race
another book to recommend: holy long by richard rolheiser
this book is fantastic. there will be an upcoming post about rolheiser’s view of spirituality and that of the mystics. in order to link these two together and pique your interest, i’ll let you know that the idea for this post came from a conversation in my readings in christian spirituality class where we were discussing mechthild of magdeburg’s writings. she uses much erotic language in her writings, and rolheiser has interesting things to say about the erotic and spirituality. check back for more.
so, yeah. that’s my life right now. music. poetry. holy longing. washing coral rocks and selling them for people to use in their saltwater aquariums (www.rockquatics.com). working as an RA. and being a theological graduate student. i assumed you guys would rather hear about the songs, poems and books than about my graduate work. but, something might strike me at some point and show up here anyway.
man, i wanted a witty title. 