Tag: Christian poetry
Adoration and Celebration of the Christ Child in Poems by Mary Harwell Sayler
The week before Christmas is a good time to read and meditate on these poems of praise, adoration, and celebration of the Christ Child. In her fresh, almost breathless style, Mary Harwell Sayler has designed the title as the first line in most of her PRAISE! POEMS. She employs sometimes startling images and reversals. Enjoy!
An Autumn Walk
Autumn Walk on the River Trail
I go down by the river in autumn breeze
that quakes gold leaves on craggy trees
and skitters dry ones at my feet.
The chill breeze hints of snowy peaks,
lifts cricket songs, soars hawks on high,
sails wispy clouds ‘cross clear-blue sky.
Kingfisher, Yellow-legs, bright Magpie;
squirrels chatter, Red-tails scream,
fishes splash in sparkling stream.
God said that all He made was good;
and surely all these things are good;
and everything He does is good.
My senses and soul exult in our God
who made seasons of change and decay
to display His unchanging glory.
–Catherine Lawton
Excerpted from Remembering Softly: A Life In Poems
Realistic Poetry Review: Remembering Softly
The glory, sorrow and unquestionable beauty of life are encapsulated in Catherine Lawton’s Remembering Softly. Lawton’s prose gently captures, like coaxing a firefly into the palm, the indescribable joy of simply seeing nature and the world in action. Sure, there are vile things out there, but there are precious things which overcome them and are worth living to witness. When misfortune passes, the memories of goodness will be everlasting.
So begins a just-published review of my poetry collection, Remembering Softly: A Life In Poems, reviewed by Realistic Poetry International. They seem to have “caught” and understood my poems. The review continues:
Remembering Softly is a personal and inspirational collection with Christian themes. The poems span several years of Lawton’s writing and experiences and are richly emotional. Reading it conjures a feeling of great creation, like seeing the kaleidoscopic glimmer of sunbeams through the fire reds of autumn woods, or perhaps one of those pure winter days where the sky is an unblemished white like being just beneath the floor of heaven.
“Shadows” stood out to me, as did “Glory” and “A Walk at Dusk” as strong points of the compilation. “A Walk at Dusk” in particular is a thought-provoking and fearless piece….
Remembering Softly is truly a beautiful book, and it’s hard to find anything to dislike. If I absolutely had to choose something, some of the personal poems addressed to certain people may not be as resonant to a new reader, though it’s obvious that they were written out of love. The illustrations are a charming touch, and fit well with the poems.
I would recommend Lawton’s collection wholeheartedly, with a 5 out of 5 stars.
My thanks to Realistic Poetry for their reading, evaluation, and recommendation of my first volume of poetry. You can read their entire review HERE.
Graphic by Realistic Poetry Intl.
A Child’s Poetic Expression of Faith on Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday
As we say,
as we sing,
Glory
to the King Almighty.
Glory,
Let us sing,
let us say
Christ has risen
from the grave!
The Lord is great,
the Lord is good!
He forgave us
of our sins!!
—Written by one of my granddaughters (age 10 or 11 at the time) during an Easter Sunday church service as we celebrated Christ’s resurrection. I found this joyful verse written on the back of a bulletin I brought home in my purse. She gave me permission to share it but asked to remain anonymous. This child’s spontaneous expression of faith inspires me anew to praise the One who is risen indeed!
We Need a Season of Stillness
Quotes About Poetry
Because I value the gift, solace, and challenge of poetry, I have started collecting quotes that help illumine the process and purpose of poetry. I’ll add to the list as I find good ones, from both historical and contemporary sources. Here is what I have so far:
Poetry is:
“…the music of the soul.” ~Voltaire
“…when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” ~Robert Frost
“…the art of uniting pleasure with truth.” ~Samuel Johnson
“…the universal language which the heart holds with nature and itself.” ~William Hazlitt
“…[that which] makes my body so cold no fire can warm me,” [and makes me} “feel as if the top of my head were taken off.” ~Emily Dickinson
“…not the assertion of truth, but the making of that truth more fully real to us.” ~T.S. Eliot
“…the breath and finer spirit of knowledge.” ~William Wordsworth
…
To read more go to my personal blog where I have revised and re-posted this list:
Antidote To Fear and Tension
I recorded this reading, and now I share it, with the hopes you will be encouraged in these unsettling times.
The poem is “Antidote” from my book of poetry, Remembering Softly : A Life In Poems
May the peace of Christ rest upon you!
PRAISE! for Easter
Are you feeling pressed down by the negativity of the world—bad news, worries, hurts, fears, anger?
If you enjoy contemporary, spontaneous, free verse—or if you are willing to try poetry as a remedy for the affliction of a heavy spirit—Cladach has just released Mary Harwell Sayler‘s book, PRAISE! Poems.
Read this book during Holy Week and be ready on Easter to sing “Hallelujah!”
Let an explosion of praise break forth in your own life with adoration and celebration of our good God!
While these short, contemporary poems acknowledge the realities around us, they also look for the good in everything.
Sections within the book include: Praise • Prayers • Easter • Creation • Wonder • Christmas.
Here are a few sample poems from the book:
Celebrating LOVE on Valentine’s Day
