It’s the last Poetry Friday of the year and I’ve found an amazing poem on the nature of belief on Writer’s Almanac today. It moved me so profoundly. It got me to thinking about belief, faith and all the things my grandparents taught me about living life well and being a good person.
It’s beautiful when poetry digs deep into your very soul and gets you to start looking deeper at the person you are and wonder if it’s enough, makes you want to do more, be more.
I’ve included the first few lines.
What My Father Believed by John Guzlowski, from Lightning And Ashes. Steel Toe Books, 2007
He didn’t know about the Rock of Ages
or bringing in the sheaves or Jacob’s ladder
or gathering at the beautiful river
that flows beneath the throne of God.
He’d never heard of the Baltimore Catechism
either, and didn’t know the purpose of life
was to love and honor and serve God.
Head on over to Writer’s Almanac for the rest.
The round-up is here.
Have a Happy New Year everyone and thank you for letting me part of this amazing Poetry Friday experience this year.
Wow, Gina, that’s quite a poem…about war and about how difficult so many people’s lives really are.
Happy New Year to you!
The final stanza just made my throat close. Sudden tears – the mark of a really deep poem. Thank you for sharing.