Friday, November 01, 2019

The rest of the poem

I have been posting John Updike's Calendar poems on this blog for over ten years.
A few months ago, or was it a year, I found his little book, his original poems, for sale online.

I loved each and every poem I read, but I knew that the references to God were missing from the originals.

I like references to God.  I like to include Him in the picture.
I believe He created this lovely world we inhabit, and I liked it back in the 1960's when this was okay with the general public.

The world's view may have changed, but I'm not budging.





This man was not moving. :op












NOVEMBER

The stripped and shapely
Maple grieves
The ghosts of her
Departed leaves.

The ground is hard,
as hard as stone.
The year is old,
The birds are flown.

And yet the world
in it's distress,
Displays a certain 
Loveliness--

The beauty of 
the bone.  Tall God
Must see our souls
This way, and Nod.

Give thanks: we do,
Each in his place
Around the table
During grace.



From A Child's Calendar by John Updike (1965)


I think those last two stanzas are challenging, 
but the depth is beautiful.
That God sees our souls....and they are lovely.


It's so touching I could cry.


Encourage one another,
Donna





4 comments:

  1. Updike's poetry makes me smile a soul-satisfying smile and so do you!
    Love and Prayers, jep

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bless you for not budgin'

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think people sure miss out on a lot when they don't include God. I'm not budging either because He didn't budge off that cross. And He could have.

    ReplyDelete

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