other deepening places
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Today, at the persistent urging of my AP students, I took them outside to the courtyard to debate which poem of our Poetry “March” Madness showdown should stand as the piece that best captures the complexity of the human condition. It came down to “Perhaps the World Ends Here” by Joy Harjo (which I shared
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According to the calendar, Spring has arrived. Yet the snow today in Western Pennsylvania cast doubts on the accuracy of the vernal equinox. And rather than enjoy an afternoon walk in the “vernal wood” of William Wordsworth’s vision (remember, it was snowing here, windy, and no warmer than 42 degrees Fahrenheit according to the highly
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In this Lenten season, I have turned once again to The Word in the Wilderness: A Poem a Day for Lent and Easter by Malcolm Guite. Like the old adage goes, “A poem a day keeps the doctor away!” (Or something along those lines.) For me, Guite’s collection provides refreshing oases to rest throughout the
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STUCK. Stuck stuck stuck stuck stuck! At best, what I have written recently feels like crap (I use that word intentionally – see below). True, responsibilities have kept me busy. Harry Chapin said it best in Cat’s in the Cradle: “But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.” True, this afternoon I chose
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I have been living, savoring the moments of married children home for weddings, holiday celebrations, late night games and talks, traveling and staying put, eating, loving, caring for the sick, pushing off the extraneous, the many emails pilling up like leaves in my inbox, and fronting “only the essential facts of life,” as Thoreau so
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Arriving late for Christmas day itself, like the magi that arrived much later at the door to Jesus’ home (see Matthew 2:1-12), I come bearing three gifts: two poems and a song. I have spent the last seven days savoring time with family between my son’s wedding and celebrating Christmas itself. If you have a
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Once again I draw from the rich collection of poems on the Art and Theology website for tonight’s post. The reminder of the humanity of this divine moment in time, specifically surrounding Mary, Joseph, and the Christ child, kindles a more fervent faith in me. This REALLY HAPPENED! It’s not just some lofty story in
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Brilliant! That’s all I can say about this wonderful juxtaposition of an ordinary, selfless act of love on behalf of the powerless performed by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski and the work of Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh on behalf of all humanity. My wife and I wept as I read it aloud over
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In looking for a Christmas-themed short story for my AP English Literature class, I came across Art & Theology’s post from November 22, 2022: “25 Poems for Christmas.” What a fantastic collection it is! Of course, their first poem from Wendell Berry’s collection of Sabbath poems remains one of my favorites. I referenced it here
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Tonight, in the search for my copy of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, serendipity led me to my copy of Philip Terman’s Our Portion: New and Selected Poems published in 2015. Sometimes we forget the gifts we have sitting on our shelves or within miles of our home. Years ago, I invited Philip Terman to speak to
the deepening ground 