15 poems to vote on

So, lds.net had a poetry contest and I am one of the 15 finalists. (W00t!) You can vote for multiple poems you like, so take a look here! All the poems are pretty neat in their own way, with a variety of poetic and literary devices used. If you think my poem "Holy Spirit" merits a vote, please do, but don't feel like you have to vote for my poem just because you know me or read my blog.

I mention this on here because devotional poetry done well has something of the divine in it, an elevated view full of awe and reverence that shares much with scripture.

Enjoy!

Pioneer, O pioneer

http://thoughtsonlds.blogspot.com/2010/07/pioneer-day.html

Ed D. Lauritsen wrote a poem entitled "Pioneer," that was published in the Dec 1997 Ensign which I think deserves to be remembered, especially at this time.  I really wish someone would put this to music.  Take your time as you read each line, and see how the sensory language pulls you in.

Pioneer

 

Hear the midnight mobs still hounding,
Hear the gunshots still resounding,
Hear the fist on doors still pounding,
Pioneer, O pioneer.

 

Smell the smoke of houses burning,
Feel the Mississippi churning,
Taste the tears of grief and yearning,
Pioneer, O pioneer.

 

Hear the icy night wind screaming,
See your breath in lamplight steaming,
Keep awake! There’s death in dreaming,
Pioneer, O pioneer.

 

Chip a frozen grave for brother,
Grip the trembling hand of mother,
Live one day, and then another,
Pioneer, O pioneer.

 

Lash and bend and drag and carry,
Ration every root and berry,
Grit your way across the prairie,
Pioneer, O pioneer.

 

Climb the mountains, steep and looming,
Hear the crashing boulders booming,
See the oxen straining, fuming,
Pioneer, O pioneer.

 

Gaze at last with soulful sighing,
See the object of your trying,
Join the thankful singing, crying,
Pioneer, O pioneer.

 

Tame the desert, bring the waters,
Raise up Zion’s sons and daughters,
Steady them while mammon totters,
Pioneer, O pioneer.

 

Send your stripling missionaries,
Send them over seas and prairies,
Send them while the Spirit tarries,
Pioneer, O pioneer.

 

Watch us now from where you’re waiting, 

See the millions congregating,

Shout in holy celebrating!
Pioneer, O pioneer.

Be sure you take a look at this page of little stories about the pioneers from modern prophets and apostles.  

After 168+ years, we are still inspired by their experiences.  

Charis Southwell, Mormon poetess

Charis Southwell is one of those Mormon poetesses who has been forgotten by time. She won several prizes at BYU for her poetry. She died quite young of Lupus. A while back, I stumbled onto a website her brother William made on which he put many of her poems.

Her poems, a number of which deal with her faith, use fresh imagery and eschew cliché without seeming so in love with words that they forget to be accessible.

For the purpose of this blog, I am linking to her more devotional poems, but I hope you will also consider the others listed here.

Here’s to give you a taste:

A position on sin

Life cannot hold back pain,
But we might, if we wished
That moment before the flame,
Like the moth, before its wings expire
Consumed by surrender to desire.
But a promise I can't dream to name
Waits for restraint. I seek light higher
And trade the gold-warm candle flame
For an eternal sea of glass and fire

---------

His guilt injured mind

Advent

We are afraid. We are afraid

The power of God touches the reaches of space

Exercise in believing

The Conference

The Restoration

The gilded wheel spinning in the sun spiral

I am now a Segullah fan.

I ran across the website for Segullah, which is a literary journal for LDS women's writing. I read through a number of essays and poems. (Okay, so it was a large number. I got hooked.) I have to say that I was very impressed. I was enlightened. I was encouraged. I felt that it was a great thing to be a woman. I think this did more to show the dignity of motherhood--the struggle, the pain, and the beauty.

Pieces that really stuck out to me:

• A poem about a dream and a date. Startling!
• A pregnant woman discovers her painful sacrifice is acceptable to the Lord, here. This changed the way I thought about pregnancy, pioneers, and sacrifice.
• An essay on guilt, here, which I am convinced will become a classic, and
• "In Honor of Feisty Marriages: The Story of a Remodel" Loved it.

Discover for yourself!

"Christ Will Come"

In trying to capture the anticipation of the Second Coming, I wrote this poem:

Though some say he’s belated
Our God can’t be frustrated
To prideful world inflated
Christ will come, Christ will come

The gospel outward flowing
The angel trumpet blowing
The lightning striking showing
Christ will come, Christ will come

In whirlwinds descending
Oppression and sin rending
All righteousness defending
Christ will come, Christ will come

The wicked burnt to cinder
No more our joy to hinder
Or stress our kith and kinder
Christ will come, Christ will come

Despair and doubt dispersal
A glad cry universal
Great mysteries rehearsal
Christ will come, Christ will come

Continue hope igniting,
And all to Christ inviting
Until He comes, reciting,
“Christ will come! Christ will come!”

What is faith and how do we increase it?

Yesterday in Sunday School our substitute teacher told us that he had always had troubles with the idea of faith and what it is. I raised my hand but he must have gotten too much from me already, because he passed me over.. So of course I will unburden my soul on the subject as the first post of this blog.

And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard see, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. (Luke 17:6)

I think the Christ chose the perfect example as an illustration of how faith works. Let us say Christ wants us to go plant a tree in the middle of the ocean. With faith the size of a mustard seed we start by saying to ourselves, "Because I have been commanded by God to do this task, it must be done, so it must be possible." And instead of spending any time and energy evaluating the reasonableness of the task, we put that energy into figuring out how to accomplish it. At that stage, in our minds we think of it as already done, and it is only a matter of time before reality reflects our inner vision.

Does it matter how impossible the task sounds? Do we really need to think about that?

The above verse was the first part of Christ's response to his disciple's request for Him to increase their faith. The second part takes it to the next step.

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded of him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded of you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:7-10)

Christ pointed out that if we had servants (or employees or whatever) once they get finished with one task, we usually have something else for them to do after that, and so on until the end. Christ was pointing out that the mental energy that the servant has to have to keep going from one thing to the next is exactly what is required to increase our faith. With each additional task, we begin to wonder, "Can I do really do this?" and with our mustard-seed-sized faith we say to ourselves, "Yes, it must be done and it is possible!" and then we go and do it with the Lord's help, and then we gain a greater sense of our ability to endure and a greater confidence in the Lord.

Example: My husband and I both served together as activities committee chair and co-chair. The bishop wanted us to have a ward activity every month. We made the determination to do what he asked us to do. It took us a few months to find out that that was an unusually high rate of activity, but even when we did, we didn't complain. We spent no time or energy considering the possibility/impossibility of the task we had been set, only figuring out how to accomplish it, and it automatically was possible. We also found that once we finished one activity we had to start right in on planning the next one; there was no time to rest. I feel that it increased my faith that Heavenly Father was the one in charge and that He was helping things to work out. All in all, that year in the activities committee was probably like 3 years elsewhere, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Do I expect thanks for how I executed my calling? No, I don't; I just did what I was asked to do. I wish I could say I was a profitable servant, but I can't. I wish there was more I could do.

Now, if you will humor me, I'll share with you a poem I wrote on this subject some time ago. It's not that great, but I sort of like it.

"Mustard Seed, Mustered Servant"

There's a way to make faith increase
It's not done at divine caprice
It lies in us
In scripture thus -
At first a mustard seed

We plant desire in our heart
Dig it deep as if shot with a dart
Make no delay
Haste to obey
Let no doubt sprout weed

Whate'er it is that must be done
Work with single eye once begun
That mount will move
On railroad groove
And you'll have done the deed

But servants mustered mustn't take rest
Rush on, nearing next complying crest
There's more to do
More faith accrue
Done duties breed a godly greed