Engaging the Life of the Soul
the woman behind me twitches, fidgets, embodies
impatience—
I hold the power to hold her up,
aggravate her senses, perhaps cause an explosion
which would be intense
instead, I give way, fall back, let her pass
and watch her whole body relax
as she gains a fraction,
a buffer
and I remember how often God has done
that for me, hold back, let me pass,
find what I need catch my breath, thanks to his patience
Theology: the study of God
Philosophy: reflecting on humanity
Science: inquiring into nature
Work: energy with purpose, including fighting
chaos with catalogues
Poetry: the love of sunsets and mystery of innocence
Stories: what we tell our friends
Hope: the ability to find what’s important to us
Joy: and arrange our lives accordingly, unmoved by insurmountable questions
this poem appears in my new book Quiet Waters
At the goblet’s base
are stable habits to help the soul
gather burdens together in one place,
perhaps, one day,
to be weighed, compounded
as a single trait—
endurance.
Along the slender stem
runs the stretching work,
the call to serve, care for others in a way
that doesn’t alienate, but
extends, expands
the place in the world we come to love.
On top, the bowl holds
the essence of prayer uplifted,
asking God in his glory
to fill us, heal our sliver of the world—
answer the perennial question,
“What is Church
and how might I
more fully
embrace
the
faith?”
The life of the soul is not linear
but topographical—
time does not pass, it mounts
contours mimic visages, memories
of people and places
that belong to the one who says, “This is my land,”
I know how it was formed, which rivers are navigable,
where the crossings are—
how long it takes to get from A to B, and
how the light feels when it falls on hills, crests and rises…
There’s an inner life
that gives shape to my exterior,
prompting me to carve out time
spent quietly in a soothing
tree-rich nature sanctuary, full of paths
that loop back, ensure you don’t
get lost in anything other
than thought; help you dwell
on what you came for,
what is essential, worth the retreat.
