Today I’ve been thinking of Alexei Navalny’s funeral and the hundreds of people shot (dead or wounded) in Gaza while they were waiting to receive aid. So much pain…
So March has begun, and I
already search for ideas. Shall
I begin with a prayer? Yes. Never
will I be convinced to stop
believing in a God who is writing
the story of our lives because
a God like you knows this world, it
is full of the haunts of cruelty and is
attempting to kill you again. Like
in your Garden prayer,
you asked for release from the
suffering, but instead it became your impetus
for going through with the thing of
which the angels cringed, growth
by design of the kingdom, and
that design, your death, made a change
in history. But do you ever wish for
earth to more readily embrace the sacred, the
hope for community on earth to better
reflect your love and pain? Starting
anew, Lord, I ask for faith to live far from
the confines of self, and instead you within.
A Golden Shovel poem with the striking line, “I shall never stop writing because it is like prayer, the impetus of growth and change for the better. Starting from within,” by Fran Haley. Thank you, Fran, for the inspiration for my Slice of Life today.
Denise. Your prayer poem is stunning!!!
“Never will I be convinced to stop
believing in a God who is writing
the story of our lives”
I’ve read this line over and over. I’ve mostly resisted golden shovels because they seem so intimidating; thank you for making me fall absolutely in love with the form.
Wow. The poem with its message and form shows compassion, faith and creativity. I can’t imagine how to create something like this so it sounds perfectly smooth. Impressive.
So beautifully articulated! Made me pause, read again, and reflect. I connected to so many parts as I read through it. Challenging us all to think about what God really wants us to focus on –
“do you ever wish for earth to more readily embrace the sacred, the hope for community on earth to better reflect your love and pain”
Love your choice of words and style.
Denise: I’m blown away, completely. This is the most beautiful Golden Shovel I’ve ever read, with a flow that defies the usual grappling with that particular form. I cannot believe it springs from that striking line – I am awed and deeply moved that you found it and created this powerful poem from it, like God taking a rib to make a living being. I am so moved. I could comment line by line but will just say that those words about suffering and it being the Lord’s impetus for going through with “the thing of which the angels cringed”… and the lines on what community is, and should reflect…these truths are so powerfully, profoundly communicated. Thank you for this amazing gift. It is precious to me. I shall keep a copy nearby, friend.
I’m so curious. Did this poem just flow out of you or did it take so much time to get it to be just right? And it is so much more because of its dedication. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Sally, thanks for your question. I had Fran’s quote on my mind all week. Yesterday I decided to make it into a golden shovel poem, and so I just started writing. I came back to it a couple times during the day and tweaked here and there. Usually when I write this kind of poem, I just start writing and see where it takes me.
Denise, such a beautiful longing prayer. Thanks for sharing. I love how Fran’s words transferred to your prayer. Such honesty.
Denise, your prayer shakes right to the core, seeps in and brings peace and certainty amidst the chaos of life. You remind us of the pain and suffering of the Savior and remind us that the world of pain has never existed in human lifetime. And it won’t until we all get to Heaven, where there is no suffering anymore. This line is beautiful, and the poem just hugs it and illuminates the power of words and meaning. Bravo, friend! I love what you’ve done here with this prayer.
This is one of the most powerful pieces I have ever read. It makes the reader come back to reread again and again with powerful lines and an intense focus on the need for hope and prayer amidst often unbelievable destruction and sadness.
I love how Fran’s line inspired this prayerful poem. That is one of the many gifts of writing! I can’t even say I have a favorite line because so many of them spoke to me. Thank you for writing this; thank you for sharing it!
Wow, Denise, your poem is incredibly powerful and so full of faith! I love how you connect the Lord’s experiences to what is currently happening in the world. From great loss, many lose faith. Provocative and compelling poem!
Other writers can inspire us to create beautiful moving pieces like yours. I look forward to continuing to be inspired by the writers participating in the challenge!
hundreds of people were shot (dead or wounded) in Gaza while they were waiting to receive aid. So much pain…. I am in tears and smiling simultaneously, you’d think why? I felt as if people were tired of talking about Gaza, you changed me, and yes I often ask Why is God letting this happen? But I know he will be making things right, I pray for a ceasefire pretty soon, sooner than the new morning. Thanks for your empathy in the true sense of the word.
You wrote what I feel..surreal!
Read this if you would like to https://www.nfkhalid.com/post/a-weapon-called-starvation
New genre! Golden shovel poem. Thanks for this. Pretty stunning how you made this work. I especially love the triggering line.
Your poem touched me deeply. Your prayer is also my prayer in this time of unspeakable harshness.
This is such an amazing poem. As others have said, it flows so beautifully, it’s hard to believe it was a golden shovel poem! I echo your thoughts entirely, without God life has no meaning at all. Phrases you have written like ‘haunts of cruelty’, ‘the thing of which the angels cringed’ are filled with so much depth of meaning. I echo your sentiment to ‘begin with a prayer’.