I stake my joy
not in wanderings
in your or somebody else's dreams
nor in busy half-thoughts crowding
spaces where I rail or mean
to be, but in the embrace
of my unfinished shadow
reminding me that to watch
listen, and unhand old fears
is to breathe out the blessing
that begins and ends
in the alleluia I deserve to hear.
© 2010 Maureen E. Doallas. All Rights Reserved.
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This poem is for the Tuesday, May 4, Blog Carnival sponsored by Bridget Chumbley at One Word at a Time and Peter Pollock of Rediscovering the Church.
The Blog Carnival is a biweekly online event open to anyone. Participants write on a one-word prompt or topic. This week's is "joy".
Go here for a list of links to all of the contributions, which are posted throughout Tuesday and often through to the end of the week.
The Blog Carnival's FaceBook page is here.
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14 comments:
You made my heart sing this morning.
What a joyful sound!
Exquisite poem, Maureen. I absolutely love what I keep thinking of as a cascading of your lines toward completion of the poem. This poem is very whole, and filled with light-- brava! xj
i am hearing the words today...
listen,
and unhand old fears
"in the embrace of my unfinished shadow ..." beautiful
And you deserve to hear that alleluia because you are made in His image and He made you to hear it. Beautiful poem, Maureen.
to breathe out the blessing ...
(my favorite line)
unfinished shadows ... I like that a lot.
thought-provoking poem Maureen. I especially liked your verses below.
"listen, and unhand old fears
is to breathe out the blessing"
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment on my blog.
JoAnne
I was waiting to exhale softly throughout. Simply lovely in structure, nuance, and essence.
Ahh, this part:
"nor in busy half-thoughts crowding
spaces where I rail or mean
to be,"
Lovely words, Maureen. Thank you.
I really really like this one -- and it turns out to be a perfect response for a friend who is learning she needs to be responsible for her own joy. Thank you!
Very pretty.
Very thoughtful.
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