
Click on a link to read the poem
Isaiah 40:1, 11 and 31
Isaiah 41:15-16 and John 15:11
Isaiah 45
"Before they call, I will answer." Isaiah 65:24
January 1993. Note scribbled in my bulletin: "I don't know why, but He did." As I meditated and began to write in my journal, this poem emerged. The title comes from the form the lines create which is easier to see on a larger screen.
This poem was begun in the Spring of 1992 during a very difficult season. It remained unfinished until January 1993.
The turning point came with the question: "Is there beauty in the derelict?"
The answer came months later: Jesus died for him - so yes, there is beauty there, too. . .and in me.
This poem is part of the Ruby Heart Legends.
Marian Webb Betts
February 1, 2021
Easter, 1993
Isaiah 43: 5-6
Inspired by a lively exchange
with my brother David — he argued for their destruction; I took up the cause of the weeds.
What follows is part debate, part mischief. 2003.
In the stack
Of nagging crap,
Papers whisper,
Voices tap —
Deadlines circle,
Numbers glare,
"Do this now!"
From everywhere.
But somewhere soft,
Beneath the din,
A quieter voice
Is tucked within —
"Not all at once.
Just breathe. Just be.
The world can wait. . .
One cup of tea."