The still pilgrim considers a hard teaching
“If you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish
the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.”
—Flannery O’Connor
“If you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish
the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.”
—Flannery O’Connor
Crammed and jammed
Bursting with days
Job died old and full of days
So full of days
He died
Died from days clotted with friends,
Eliphaz, Bildad and
Zophar
And don’t forget Elihu
Late but stuffed with wisdom too
Friends certain and smug
Wiseacres knowing all
Everything about this life
Except of course the life of Job
Make me plow blade, implement
for the deep earth, forge me blue
with heat, Lord of flame, blow
strong the bellows, let the bellows
sing, baptize me in song, let ring
anvil, hammer, iron, tong, away
the slag, away the dull, draw me
sharp as the chine of a scythe,
sharp as sun glint, sharp as steel,
Lord of moldboard, coulter, land-
There was a shallow moss gray basin
set with bunches of grapes.
The grapes were chiseled green
with the ripeness of their September harvest.
There was a pert glazed pitcher,
black as obsidian, filled with cold water.
There were six linen napkins
with red diagonal strips
laxly laid by earthenware plates.