“The Poet’s Role” (Isaiah) [reflection on notes from Internet And Then Comes The Poet (Walt Whitman) [ https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2019-01-22-finally-comes-the-poet-a-tribute-to-mary-oliver/ ]

She played upon the circumstances life
Had thrust upon community, and strife
From times corrupted by the greed of man,
Through crash, to life restored, as Savior can.

I had not seen Isaiah’s larger theme –
Three passages of life – and what it means
To face enormous challenges of mess,
At social scale – see each our load address –

Corruption, shattered hope, like forest burnt
With charred remains – for nothing had been learnt;
God drops a poet’s tongue amidst the flames,
Who “Shoot of Jesse” – hope’s Messiah names.

Amidst despair of exile’s foreign soil,
As back at home the leaderless still toil,
Forbidden to rebuild protective walls,
Yet for a future and a hope they call.

Once more a poet sounds the word of hope –
Of Eagle’s wings, enlarged their mission’s scope –
Community of service to the rest;
Life poured back into home, with hope and zest.

Then through long years of restoration’s toil,
Hopes dashed – folks from the best of life recoiled;
No magic wand, or special sauce to serve,
But rather, sagging hopes and loss of nerve.

A third time poets dropped life-giving hope –
“The Spirit of the Lord’s on me – so folks
Can see the promise – rise up to its light,
Not lose their courage in extended night.

“Then comes the poet”, Whitman wrote that time –
In it this woman heard once more that “Mind”
Can serve community as love of God,
Like heart, and soul, and strength, here on this sod.

Lord, in these words I hear a quiet word
From You, through current chaos I’d not heard
As well, that life has flowed as people spoke
Poetically – from which new life awoke.

Lord, You have given me Isaiah’s tongue,
Renewed each morning, ’fore each day’s begun –
First taught, instructed, guided how to speak
Encouragement into the lives I meet.

Lord, it’s not much, within Your larger scope,
But You have shown me power where there is hope,
And how it takes so little to set free
The folks bogged down – in need of Jubilee.

Lord, thanks for this encouragement today;
Your quiet words from Scripture here displayed,
That somehow through what You have poured into
My mind, can help in final task You do.

Thanks Lord for this.

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