Last week we had Ministers' Week at the seminary. Cheryl directed the program with a theme of integrating the arts with ministry. At the President's request she gave two powerful lectures originally presented at Columbia Theological Seminary last fall. She also volunteered me to read some of my "poetry." I agreed but began with the following disclaimer.
I Am Not A Poet
Poets are artists.
Painting on the canvas of our imaginations,
With words, rhythms, and sounds
Fused into a single medium,
Evoking a knowledge from within.
Poets are sculptors of the mind,
Molding, bending and shaping ideas
Until they serve a greater end,
Exposing hidden forms
Forged in our collective consciousness,
Framed by human experience.
Poets are jewelers
Matching words with emotions,
Spinning phrases into golden chains
All linked by mystery more than grammar
Highlighting subtle facets of thought
Each complementing the other,
Valued for the whole and for the part.
Poets are musicians
Connecting the tangible
And the eternal
With the melody of angels.
Tapping out a cadence
With Syllables and silence
Harmonizing and resonating
In sequential tones of thought.
Poets are magicians
Waving syllables and phrases
Before our very eyes
Entertaining us with the ordinary
Set in motion in plain sight.
Only to surprise us
With unexpected delight.
Words, once dull and listless in our minds,
Suddenly enlightening,
Enchanting, poised and refined.
I am not a poet
I lack the wisdom, grace and skill,
Not to mention the will,
To weave a tapestry
Of our shared humanity.
I cannot carve a sculpture of your inner self
Nor paint a portrait of who you long to be.
I am not a poet
I am just a collector,
A hoarder
A gatherer of thoughts and ideas.
From time to time
I open the closet of my mind
Allowing all the clutter
To spill out in a mess.
Just so I can pick it up
And arrange the words in rows
Connected like fingers and toes
Flowing down a page
In feigned complexity
Made clear for all to see.
Implying some great significance
Yet void of such intent.
I leave it to the reader
To plumb their deeper meaning.
Add whatever intention
You imagined in my conception.
As for me, I only wanted
To make a connection.
JDJ
April 9, 2009
3 comments:
You're not? Could've fooled me. This was just wonderful.
Holy cow! I normally don't care that much for poetry but that was amazing. I often find the accessible rhythms trite and the meaninful poems not melodic, but this was the perfect mix. Unable to compare you to a poet, I find this quite Buechner-ish--a master of thought and language.
Thought it was beautiful when I heard it at Minister's Week. As I read it now, I still think it is amazing.
Post a Comment