On Hatred: A Poem for today’s news

When I have no words, it seems the poet rears his head in me and invites me to choose a backstair – to havens where new language and strong feelings reside.

on hatred

this anger rises
airborne fume
so thick with years
and quick to find
the fault that begs
for justice meted

no contrary voice
nor weapon’s fire
can quick befall
this aged mist
the wound to close
from which it spews

and so this need
a heat to rise
so thick with years
and quick to find
the gaping tear
within the cowled

to burn and curse
that morbid strain
that feeds, infects
the heart extinct
dispels the stench
and heals the rip

within the hater
and the hated.

08.08 Dan Wilt

CNN.com – Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News

P.S. A quote for my poet friends:

“The vocation of the poet, rather like that of the priest, is to recognize to point others to the often imperceptible grace of God; that divine grace that holds everything and everyone in being, and which alone can bring creation to its true fulfillment.”

From The Art Of God by Christopher Irvine (Liturgy Training Publications, 2005) 53.

AVAILABLE WHEREVER YOU BUY BOOKS

Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms

Sheltering Mercy, along with its companion volume, Endless Grace, helps us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms—through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns—as a guide to personal devotion and meditation.

The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. This book contains 75 prayers drawn from Psalms 1-75, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning in the Psalms. Each prayer is a response to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and welcome us into a safe place amid the storms of life.

This artful, poetic, and classic devotional book features compelling custom illustrations and foil-stamped hardcover binding, offering a fresh way to reflect on and pray the Psalms.