Skip to main content
The Christian CenturyThe Christian Century
  • Subscriber Login

Marketing/Header Menu

  • Sections
  • Search
  • Current Issue
  • Free Newsletters
  • Donate
  • Renew
  • Subscribe

Mega-menu

  • Subscriber login
  • Topics
    • Politics & Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Church
    • Scripture
    • Theology
    • Life of Faith
  • Departments
    • Features
    • Lectionary
    • News
    • Books
    • Voices Columnists
    • Online Columnists
    • First Words
    • From the Editors
    • Interviews
    • Screen Time
    • Poetry
    • On Art
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Back Issues
    • Latest Articles
    • Classified ads
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Bulk Subscriptions
    • Address Changes
    • Customer Service
  • Info
    • About Us
    • Mission
    • Staff
    • Advertising
    • Submissions
    • Rights & Permissions
    • The Narrative Project
  • Connect
    • Subscribe
    • Renew
    • Donate
    • Free Newsletters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Subscriber Login

Since 1900, the Christian Century has published reporting, commentary, poetry, and essays on the role of faith in a pluralistic society.

© 2026 The Christian Century.

Contact Us   
Privacy Policy

Poetry

Elegy for eulogies

by Steven Peterson in the December 29, 2021 issue
ShareShare on TwitterShare on FacebookEmail to a friendPrint

Sometimes we were surprised  
or not
but always we felt bad
to hear
there’ll be no funeral
no kind
of memorial service
no way
to celebrate those lives
beyond
a pixeled program on
a screen.

All of us did our best
but still
it seemed like standing at
the graves
of souls forever marked
Unknown.

This poem appears in the December 29, 2021 issue.

We would love to hear from you. Let us know what you think about this article by writing a letter to the editors.

Most Recent

Dispute between kosher grocers headed to highest rabbinical court in US

by Benyamin Cohen

Assistance in dying, Berrigan’s witness, and more reader feedback

Masks hide us—and shape us

by Peter W. Marty

The price of AI’s techno-religious promises

by Colton Bernasol
 

Most Popular

Features

Understanding polyamory

Alternatives to monogamous marriage are going mainstream. How will Christians respond?
by David Congdon
Features

Dolly Parton’s faith was hard to measure

But it was at the heart of her immeasurable legacy.
by Jason G. Edwards
wendell berry in conversation
Features

Wendell Berry’s vision of a sacred world

Experience, reading, and the daily rounds of farm work taught Wendell that scripture is correct: Every creature and every inch of earth is made and approved by God.
by Norman Wirzba
Features

Donald McGavran’s complicated legacy

The founder of the church growth movement was full to bursting with intercultural adaptation and anti-racist struggle. How did he become the darling of White segregationist Christians?
by Francisco Herrera
The Christian CenturyThe Christian Century

Since 1900, the Christian Century has published reporting, commentary, poetry, and essays on the role of faith in a pluralistic society.
 


BlueSky logo  Facebook icon  Instargram logo

© 2026 The Christian Century. All rights reserved.

Contact Us  
Privacy Policy

Mega-menu

  • Subscriber login
  • Topics
    • Politics & Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Church
    • Scripture
    • Theology
    • Life of Faith
  • Departments
    • Features
    • Lectionary
    • News
    • Books
    • Voices Columnists
    • Online Columnists
    • First Words
    • From the Editors
    • Interviews
    • Screen Time
    • Poetry
    • On Art
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Back Issues
    • Latest Articles
    • Classified ads
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Bulk Subscriptions
    • Address Changes
    • Customer Service
  • Info
    • About Us
    • Mission
    • Staff
    • Advertising
    • Submissions
    • Rights & Permissions
    • The Narrative Project
  • Connect
    • Subscribe
    • Renew
    • Donate
    • Free Newsletters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Subscriber Login