L.L. here, with Random Acts of Poetry. Remembering a question.
“Why did they do that?” she asked. My Littlest was musing about the origins of the song Ring Around the Rosie and wondering why people would write a song about The Plague.
“Maybe kids wrote it,” I said. “You never know how kids will respond to something.”
She sat quietly for a minute, then tipped her head and looked up. “Maybe they did it to remember.”
It’s interesting to consider why we write poetry (some set to song). This same Little daughter recently wrote me a poem one day when I was quite sad. I turned her words over and over in my mind, and in one of those rare parenting moments I thought, “I’ve done something right. My daughter just responded to pain with poetry.”
How do you respond to turning points in your life? To pain or unexpected joy?
Mary, the mother of Jesus, responded in poetry when she met her cousin Elizabeth, and the truth of what was inside Mary caused a literal stir (John the Baptist “leapt” in the womb upon hearing her voice). Said Mary,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God
my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on
the lowliness of his servant…”
And so forth. In one spontaneous poem based partly on the Psalms, Mary remembers, rejoices, glorifies, fights, hopes. This is turning-point poetry, come down through the ages.
We might be tempted to skim past Mary’s poem, get on with the story. Indeed, I bet most of us generally have. Except my colleague Scot McKnight.
One day he read this poem to a class and asked the question, “What kind of woman would sing a song like this when Herod was on the throne?” From that moment on, Scot had to know the answer. His book The Real Mary: Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace the Mother of Jesus is that answer and more.
Right now, I’ve decided to give away a copy of The Real Mary. Just stop in to see why and leave a comment to enter the giveaway that honors Scot’s words about Mary’s poem.
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Poetry prompt: I love the title of Scot’s book… The Real Mary. It questions. It promises. Why not try your hand at a “The Real …..” poem. Give us your take on the real Jonah, the real Noah, or maybe the real Cleopatra or You. Post your offering by Thursday, October 8, for definite links and possible feature. Please drop your link here, to make sure I see it.
“Grace Revisited” art, Mineral Pigments and Gold on Kumohada Paper, (c) copyright Makoto Fujimura, 2002. Used with permission from Makoto Fujimura. Also available on Grace Note Cards at the International Arts Movement Store. Post written by L.L. Barkat.
All RAP Participants
Maureen’s Neruda, and On Any Given Day
Glynn’s Walking in Mr. Berry’s Woods and Sunday Morning Rain and Early Sunday Morning
Joelle’s More Holy
Cindy’s Like the Whitecap
Kelly’s The Last Day
nAncY’s in love
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You can see themes from this poem in Jesus’ teaching and in James’ letter. In Mary’s poetry and life, she influenced her sons, perhaps because she dared sing about God’s victory in a time of oppression.
Heather, what a marvelous observation. Thanks!
why do people write poetry? yes, that is a very interesting question. perhaps it starts with one reason, and with each poem a new reason emerges. as one reasons, thus, there is born a new reason.
When my mom’s cancer returned almost three years ago, I found poems pouring out. Some of them hearken back to her first two rounds, when I was a child (unfortunately, not writing poems like LL’s Littlest). But now I’m poem dry.
nAncY, I loved that… your words are a poem in themselves.
Megan, I am curious… did you write poetry before your mom’s cancer or mostly during it? Yes, curious.
What always intrigues me is how poetry focuses the mind on the possibilities and invitations in the pain. It prepares us for courageous action. Mary’s pain in her pregnancy must have been enormous. The Magnificat gives us a glimpse into how she could cope. A refuge of beauty. A citadel of faith…
My guess, Megan, is that poetry flowed out of you during your pain.
In answer — my mom’s still hanging in there. This bout is at 3 years and counting, but the original diagnosis goes back to 1981. I’ve written poetry since I was a kid (38 now). So if pain is a precursor to poetry, well then, baby, I’ve got quite a store!