Saturday, April 11, 2009

A Poem



RESURRECTION SONG

We were buried in the dark, rich earth,
Our bodies covered with the fragrant soil
Of Kansas plains. We slept,
And within us, life stirred,
Impatient to be born.

In due time, we burst from our shrouds,
Thrusting our heads through disappearing snow
Which sheltered us from bitter cold
And from wind which would have ripped us from the womb.

The sun warmed us; Earth nourished us;
And for a season we grew tall,
Bending our golden heads to gentle rains and summer winds
Gaining strength that we might meet our destiny.

Then, it was time.

They took us from our birthplace.
They set us free to fulfill our purpose,
To begin our journey into a world where men
Have treasured us, long before recorded time.

We were dispersed to the corners of the world,
Welcomed by peasants and kings; then crushed,
Never again to exist in previous form.

We were joined with water, proved by fire,
Then broken and consumed. The dust of our bodies
Became men's flesh. We received life from Earth;
Our deaths returned life as a gift to man.

But, some of us were saved, and in the fullness of time
Will repeat the cycle of death and birth;
Will be buried, then spring to life again.
The soils of nations far from our beginnings
Will be the tombs from which we rise.

Patricia Phillips, 1992


For the background of this poem, and how it came to be written, I invite you to read yesterday's post.

12 comments:

Arkansas Patti said...

Beautiful poem Pat and I feel appropriate to the season. Have a wonderful Easter.

rhymeswithplague said...

Pat, this is lovely on so many levels. I like it a great deal. You are a poet. You only think you aren't.

rhymeswithplague said...

And the photo is perfect.

Snap said...

Pat ... poet you are!

Hugs--

Huzhar said...

Great photo and great poem, Pat! Have a nice day..

Sherry Peyton said...

Oh, Pat, this is delightful, gentle and warm and so perfect for this season. Thank you for posting it.

Gilly said...

That is a lovely poem! And the photo goes perfetly with it. Never seen a Kansas plain, but your poem brings a picture of it to my mind.

Patty said...

Happy Easter!!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Absolutely phenomenal Pat.... I'm surprised that you didn't continue that talent.

There is a huge comparison when thinking about the Resurrection of Christ. I love it!!!!

Happy Easter and thanks for sharing this.
Hugs,
Betsy

JC said...

Great poem. Have a Blessed and Happy Easter.

Jeannelle said...

Bravo....wonderful story poem, Pat! I don't know much about poetry, but your creation here is superb and tells a miraculous story of nature which is constantly going on around us.

Thanks for your previous post, too, and the lovely explanation of how the poem came to be.

Jinksy said...

The magical cycle of birth-death-rebirth in nature is a subject I've pondered upon time out of number, so I really enjoyed this poem. xxx