#PoetryFriday 26_0403.
We are celebrating Holy Week — the most sacred week in Christianity.
During this week, we commemorate the final days of Jesus Christ’s life on earth — beginning with His joyous entry into Jerusalem, continuing through His suffering, trial, crucifixion, death, and culminating with His glorious resurrection. This week is the foundation of our Christian faith.
From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, I am more aware of love, sacrifice, redemption, and victory over death. And that awareness focuses my prayers, thoughts, conversations, and readings. And so, I share a small collection of poems by various poets. And I also share a blackout (found) poem I wrote from the writing of C.S. Lewis.
I.
Gethsemane
by Mary Oliver
The grass never sleeps.
Or the roses.
Nor does the lily have a secret eye that shuts until morning.
Jesus said, wait with me. But the disciples slept. . . .
Read entire poem.
II.
Gethsemani
(Luke 22:44)
by William Baer
This is the bloody chalice of agony
borne of what’s to come. Which catches his breath
with wracking fears of what will come to be:
the whips, the thorns, the crucifixion and death.
It is an agony borne of sacrifice: . . .
Read entire poem.
III.
Good Friday In My Heart
by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (1861—1907)
Read more…
GOOD FRIDAY in my heart! Fear and affright!
My thoughts are the Disciples when they fled,
My words the words that priest and soldier said,
My deed the spear to desecrate the dead.
And day, Thy death therein, is changed to night.
Then Easter in my heart sends up the sun.
My thoughts are Mary, when she turned to see.
My words are Peter, answering, ‘Lov’st thou Me?’
My deeds are all Thine own drawn close to Thee,
And night and day, since Thou dost rise, are one.
IV.
Two poems by Jill Peláez Baumgaertner from her book From Shade To Shine, Paraclete Press, 2022
Easter, Before It’s Noticed
The garden in the deep night
after God’s rapt silence
has no breath. No echo even
in the vacant tomb which no one
yet has visited, no one seen. . . .
Read entire poem.
Easter
In the tomb
his cheek ashens,
the silence stiffens. . . .
Read entire poem.
V.
A few years ago, I wrote a poem, a blackout (found) poem, and called it “The Resurrection.” I gathered C. S. Lewis’ words — words and phrases that I found in “What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ?” from his book God in the Dock — and strung them into lines to form a poem.
The Resurrection
Strangest story of all,
story of the Resurrection,
get the story clear–
something perfectly new
in the history of the universe.
Christ defeated death:
the door which had been locked
for the first time, forced open,
distinct from mere ghost-survival,
not a picture of survival after death.
Something new appeared
in the universe,
a new mode of being–
that is the story.
What are we going to make of it?
God has come down
Into the universe,
down to manhood
and come up again,
pulling it up with Him.
What are we to make of Christ?
You must accept
or reject the story.
Others say, This is truth;
He says, I am Truth.
Others, This is the way, the life;
He says, I am
the Way, the Life.
He says, Come to Me
everyone. I am Re-birth,
I am Life. I have overcome
the Universe. That is the issue,
the Resurrection Story.
© 2018 Alice Nine
A found poem from the words of C. S. Lewis
My sincere appreciation to D.S. Martin on his “Kingdom Poets” blog for his extensive Easter Poems Index by diverse poets. Each post includes the poem and a brief biographical sketch of the poet. Poems are shared in their entirety.
Thank you Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme
for hosting #PoetryFriday Roundup
where Alice Nine teaches language lessons that
Empower Students to Read and Write
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Happy Easter Monday, Alice! Thanks so much for sharing these powerful poems, including yours. Years ago, I worked my way through reading a special poetry collection for Lent, but these are all new to me. I wish you a blessed Easter Season.
Thank you for this fulsome collection of poems, Alice. I’m just now getting over here on Sunday. I was fortunate to start the day with the sunrise service at our church – inside the newly renovated old chapel instead of outside, because of the rain. But as the pastor said, he is thankful for the rain! (We’ve needed it.) Thanks for sharing your found poem – a rich source to draw from, for sure.
Thank you, Robyn. So good that you had the old chapel to be out of the rain. Sunrise services are the best part of Easter Sunday.
Happy Easter, Alice! Thank you for sharing some of your poetic insights about the holiday.
I trust you are having a blessed Easter.
Alice, nice collection of poems. I especially enjoyed the perspective of Mary Oliver’s “Gethsemane” and your C.S. Lewis “Resurrection.” A blessed Easter to you.
Thank you, Denise. A blessed Easter to you and yours!
I especially enjoyed your black-out poem.
Thanks so much for these Holy Week poems. I especially loved your found poem, truly the greatest story ever told.
Thank you.
Alice, are you familiar with Jan Richardson? She has a page of poems about Holy Week: https://paintedprayerbook.com/category/easter/ Making a found poem from C.S. Lewis was a good idea. It makes me want to listen to the C.S. Lewis song again by Brooke Fraser. A favorite.
Thank you, Tabatha. I will check out Jan’s page.
Such meaningful words of faith. Your poem using lines from C.S. Lewis – “that is the issue, the Resurrection Story”- says it all.
Thank you, Diane. Those words really do sum it all up.
Powerful poems, Alice, including yours – quite the collection you’ve gathered here. I especially love the conceit of “the grass never sleeps.”
Thank you, Matt. First time I read Mary Oliver’s poem… I read the title and then the first line and it gave me pause. I need to incorporate the technique more.