sonnet of orleans...
Thursday, September 1, 2005 at 02:12PM the last time i saw her
she was skipping through the emotonal puddles
of uncertainty
with a sureness that would rival that of saints and cold chemists.
i saw her
(far beyond logic)
she was happy
a beautiful mystery
i wondered why it happened
could she be so lost
in the midst of the breeze turned torrent
and i wondered why she
this saint and sinner
would be baptized in waves of uncertainty
i remember her that way and wonder, will she rise.
_____________________
Psalm 37
1 By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat down, yea, we wept
When we remembered Zion.
2 We hung our harps
Upon the willows in the midst of it.
3 For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song,
And those who plundered us requested mirth,
Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How shall we sing the LORD’s song
In a foreign land?
Reader Comments (2)
Psalm 137 is one of those haunting ones that I translated in Hebrew class and became somewhat obsessed with the depth of pain, anger, hurt, shock, but mostly grief. It wrenches my heart and soul to many, tiny little pieces.
Later, in college, I heard the song 'By the Rivers of Babylon'. Haunting.
I've been attempting to perform a monolog from the passage - but my wife holds me back. She says that the people are not ready for such a haunting and morbid piece. They would not understand it in today's America. Perhaps now, they would
Yet, it speaks volumes to me each and every time I read it.
Thanks, Matt, for sharing this view.
What are your thoughts? Should I attempt to present it at the Festival in March?
We've all at one time or another had our song stolen from us.
It reminds me of those famous B. Joel lyrics.
"Sing us a song
You're the piano man.
Sing us a song tonight."
Later
They sit at the bar and stuff bread in my jar and say "Man what are you doin' here."
After verse 6 we find the most shocking, honest, emotional implosion ever recorded in literature.
It's purpose I believe is to show truth. Even ugly emotions. The Bible doesn't candy coat or soften. It tells the story straight which is how we are to live our lives. In honesty. BUT I still struggle with the ending of that Psalm.