I wish I knew what the centurion knew who took authority as solid fact and recognized the rank he saw in you: I wish I had his faith that you would act, for I have prayed—“I am not worthy, Lord”— that all the hungry may at last be filled, the mighty cast down—only say the word!— and clamor of our wars forever stilled. The martial drumbeat sounds with every dawn and marches on as regular as day. To those who have, more good is battened on; from those who have not, all is ta’en away. Just say the word, O God, and fill these shelves: Make pantries with your plenty overflow. Come fill our tables—O, come fill our selves!— for you have promised us it would be so. Then give me faith to trust that you will speak, that you have seen the empty, aching hands and mean to fill them with the good they seek— while all the evidence against you stands. And give me ears to hear you tell me, “Go.” Give me a willingness as I am sent, whether to reap the fields or cast and sow or let my sword into your plow be bent. And let me someday hear you tell me, “Come.” I’ve brought my loaves and fishes to the feast; I did my work, and said, “Your will be done.” Help me to trust that I will taste and see.
This blessed me today. I enjoy how the interplay of parables and passages provides a chorus effect. The only line that pulled me out was "ta'en away." I sat there brainstorming subs: spilled, fled, moved, snatched. Elisions aren't my preference tho so I could be the only one who was momentarily stuck there. "Let my sword into your plow be bent" is one of my favorite lines. I can pray this one.
Thank you! Yeah, "ta'en away" is not great, but I really wanted the reference to "and from those who have little, even what they have will be taken away." (Google says it's Matthew 13:12.) I could have just done "taken," but there really aren't any other places that play loose with the meter, so it would be jarring no matter what. In general, elision doesn't bother me, so I went with that one.
You are generous to dialogue about your thought process. I think even with something like “plucked away” I would have gone to that Matt 13 allusion, but maybe the dissonance is fitting there. In a line referencing loss, the meter is momentarily lost. Thanks again!
This blessed me today. I enjoy how the interplay of parables and passages provides a chorus effect. The only line that pulled me out was "ta'en away." I sat there brainstorming subs: spilled, fled, moved, snatched. Elisions aren't my preference tho so I could be the only one who was momentarily stuck there. "Let my sword into your plow be bent" is one of my favorite lines. I can pray this one.
Thank you! Yeah, "ta'en away" is not great, but I really wanted the reference to "and from those who have little, even what they have will be taken away." (Google says it's Matthew 13:12.) I could have just done "taken," but there really aren't any other places that play loose with the meter, so it would be jarring no matter what. In general, elision doesn't bother me, so I went with that one.
You are generous to dialogue about your thought process. I think even with something like “plucked away” I would have gone to that Matt 13 allusion, but maybe the dissonance is fitting there. In a line referencing loss, the meter is momentarily lost. Thanks again!
Amen.