March Slice of Life No. 30. * Poetry Friday
This week as I read “What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ?” — an essay from God in the Dock by C.S. Lewis, words and phrases expressing uniquely Lewis’s thoughts about Jesus’ resurrection caught my attention. I wanted to preserve them. I highlighted them on my copy. I copied them into my journal. But I couldn’t let them rest. I decided to preserve them in the form of a found poem. So, with my thoughts turned toward the glorious story of Easter, I used the words of C.S. Lewis to compose “The Resurrection.”
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
* * * * *
Writing about my writing
A found poem, in general, is created from words or phrases found in a single text. The creator of a found poem takes the words, phrases, and/or sentences from a text and reframes them as poetry by changing spacing and lines, by adding or deleting text. Some found poems change the original text in a profound and systematic way, even giving it new meaning. Others make little or no changes in the order of the words, the syntax of the original text, and the meaning.
When I created “The Resurrection,” I lifted words, phrases, and whole sentences from the essay. I kept them in the same order as they occur in the original text. I made no changes in the syntax. I did not add words. My contributions to the creation of the poem were to select the words, to choose line breaks, to determine stanzas, and to decide on capitalization and punctuation.
On reading C.S. Lewis
My paperback set of the Chronicles of Narnia is well-worn. I’ve read it to students. I’ve read to grandkids. And two of my grandsons have borrowed it from my shelf many times. I remember reading The Screwtape Letters in high school. And I’ve turned to A Grief Observed when grappling with the issues of life, death, and faith in the midst of loss. More recently, I have skimmed and read essays in God in the Dock.
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January – June 2018
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve read the Chronicles of Narnia, but I haven’t read much else of Lewis since my college days. It may be time to reread some of his other books, too. I enjoyed your found poem on the Resurrection.
Thank you, Kay. There are some authors who are worth re-reading.
Thanks for your poem from another big Lewis fan! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogpost.com
🙂 Thank you for stopping by, Ruth!
Found poems are a wonderful way to zoom in and focus on what’s essential to us in another’s writing. You’ve captured your truth with Lewis’s words beautifully. Thank you for sharing, Alice, and happy Easter!
Thank you, Catherine. I always appreciate your comments.
Happy Easter.
And to you, too! 🙂
Thanks!
Your found poem captured the resurrection so well! Thanks for keeping Christ in your slice! Happy, almost, Resurrection Day!
I’m so glad you stopped by and shared with me.
Thank you for a poem that beautifully represents the the meaning of this holy season. You have taken the words of C.S. Lewis and reworked them into “The strongest story of all.”
Happy Easter to you and Kathy!
Thank you. Same to you and your family.
You don’t have to be a preacher’s daughter or even a Christian kid to know that you’re in the presence of greatness when you get hold of the Chronicles of Narnia. But you found something different in CS Lewis, and who knows where I might be today if someone had explained it all with this book and your poem…
I think this is my first visit to your website/blog. It looks great–nice and clean.
Heidi, I’m so glad you came by today. Well said about the Chronicles of Narnia. And thank you for your kind words about my website/blog.
Thank you (and C.S.) for this beautiful witness and story of the resurrection. The words you have chosen speak loudly. I am pondering these words in particular:
God has come down
Into the universe,
down to manhood
and come up again,
pulling it up with Him.
Praise God for the truth of that last line!
Thank you also for your own words about the writing process.
I had to re-read that portion several times. It made me think of the “Peace on earth” message of the angels that speaks of a peace between God and man because He came to us (down) and He makes it possible for us to come to Him (pulling up).
Though I have wandered away from formal religion (but not my faith), the tenets of Christianity still ring true for me. I hadn’t thought about The Screwtape Letters in years; Lewis’ books are gathering dust on my personal bookshelves. I think I’ll remedy that by adding them to my summer reading list. Thanks for the found poem on this Good Friday.
It is our faith, not formal religion, that is most important. Happy Easter!
I am Truth. I am the Way, the Life. I am Re-birth. I am Life.
Thanks, Alice, for this found poem of the Resurrection Story.
Happy Easter to you and your family, Ramona!
As always, I appreciate the craft lesson. Your found poetry expresses the message about Christ beautifully and succinctly. And I love CS Lewis. I haven’t read God in the Dock, so onto the list it goes.
Thank you. He is such a word smith and I love how he presents his arguments. God in the Dock (Trial). It is a collection of essays and letters published posthumously.
Spending time with writings by turning them into poems is so rewarding (I did that once with a Winston Churchill speech and Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby). I especially like your fourth stanza.
Lewis is so very quotable that I keep saving bits, like this: “When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”
That is a great Lewis quote. Thank you, Tabatha, for sharing.
Alice, thanks for the craft lesson. As always simply explained, making it feel accessible to all.
Aw… thank you! Learning happens both ways when we share.
Beautifully found. Happy Easter, Happy Poetry Month!
Happy Easter, Linda!
I’ve never written a found poem but now I must try. You certainly have inspired me – with your teaching of how to write a found poem AND the words to start my Good Friday. Thank you
Do try it, Christine. Here’s a post where I write more about it. http://alicenine.net/poetry-stirs-our-humanity/ Happy Easter to you.
It has been a while since I read C.S. Lewis. I need to return to some of his words. I like your found poem. It made me think of Calvin Miller’s allegories: The Singer, The Song, and The Finale.
Thanks, Glenda, for sharing. I hadn’t thought of Miller’s trilogy.
Dear Alice, I still have my NARNIA books from childhood. 🙂 Thank you for your found poem… it’s a great way to compress the message, isn’t it? xo
Definitely books to be treasured! May your Easter weekend be blessed, Irene.