I love the way Christmas is being reclaimed as a time of unapologetic celebration of Christ’s birth. (e.g. read "It's Our Party!" from Rebecca Writes). We’re ignoring political correctness and wishing each other, and anyone who will listen, a Blessed or Merry Christmas (vs. dispensing Season’s or Holiday Greetings). Cities are putting up public creches again. Even newcomers to Canada, whose sensibilities we’re ostensibly trying to assuage by neutralizing the celebration, have joined in. Why this week we got a Christmas card from our member of parliament - who is Sikh by religion - wishing us "A Very Merry Christmas..." (Thank you, Gurmant and Nina Grewal!)
It was in this spirit of celebration that fellow poet Darlene Moore Berg suggested way back in August that as members of Utmost Christian Writers poetry forum we pool our efforts and put together a poetic Christmas greeting. In the intervening time we emailed our poems to Darlene who - despite a schedule already full-to-bursting with pediatrician, parent, and child obligations - put them together in a booklet. I got mine in the mail a couple of days ago. It’s a little too late now, I fear, to make more copies to send to family and friends. But my fellow poets have granted me permission to post some of their thoughtful and celebrative poems on this blog. So here, without further adieu is Part 1 of :
It was in this spirit of celebration that fellow poet Darlene Moore Berg suggested way back in August that as members of Utmost Christian Writers poetry forum we pool our efforts and put together a poetic Christmas greeting. In the intervening time we emailed our poems to Darlene who - despite a schedule already full-to-bursting with pediatrician, parent, and child obligations - put them together in a booklet. I got mine in the mail a couple of days ago. It’s a little too late now, I fear, to make more copies to send to family and friends. But my fellow poets have granted me permission to post some of their thoughtful and celebrative poems on this blog. So here, without further adieu is Part 1 of :
A NIGHT NOT TO BE SILENT
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A Night Not To Be Silent
Tell it
Sing it
Shout it
Stomp your feet
Clap your hands
Write about it
This night demands
that all know it
Christ is come –
the Son!
© 2004 by Darlene Moore Berg
Embryology
A subtle thing
one simple moment to the next
a rhythm, a pulsatile beat
and the heart of God
takes on a mortal cadence
In a dark, muffled womb
four chambers form – room
to comprehend the flow
of human blood...
A coil of ear widens open
to the Voice of Heaven –
whispers of Divinity
knit into the ossicles
A mouth slit thickens
lips smile, a tongue
thrusts against a palate, teeth
proclaims Truth
the Kingdom come
Buds of limbs grow
flower into legs, feet, toes
skip across Galilean waters
pace the length of Israel’s
rocky soil
arms extend, hands flex,
fingers grasp a hammer, a nail
unroll a Scroll
palms open skyward
in piercing wail...
And eyes unblinking blue
will one day open darkened,
fill with strain of tears
endure in pain man’s stubborn
pride
and fears
embryonic genesis
a life takes flesh,
manifests ultimate Love
stretches forth
across a Universe
to be born within a human
heart...
© 2004 by Darlene Moore Berg
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If you enjoyed these poems by Darlene Moore Berg, read more of her work here.
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1 comments:
Hello Violet,
Thank you for sharing these samples of Incarnation poetry.
Very lovely, God-honouring, and Christ-focused, and thought-provoking in a respectful and worshipful way.
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