Your weekly slice of Poetry

Today marks the first week of Advent, the time when we celebrates the "coming" of Christ, the light, into the darkness of our sin-fallen world. This period is characterized by longing and anticipation, by the darkness that precedes the light, by hope in the promises of God. Much like Good Friday, this time is to be experienced in its own right. It mustn't be downplayed, even though we know that it will be soon concluded in Christmas. We must move ourselves into this frame of mind; we must place ourselves in the darkness so that we can better see the light when it comes.

Advent poetry is characterized by many of the themes mentioned above: darkness, waiting, longing, and hope. As such, it is distinguished quite clearly from the Christmas poems/songs that have begun to fill our homes. This week's edition of Poetry Pie features some poems that embody these images. I hope that they are both delightful and useful as you prepare yourselves for this greatest holiday of the year.

Dark

Kate Bluett

This poem was just recently published by Kate, whom I have featured a few times previously. She has a particular skill in writing for liturgical scenes, often accompanying the different periods of the church calendar. This poem perfectly contains the sense of darkness and longing that is so strong during Advent. The final stanza is especially beautiful, helping align us to the spirit of Advent.

Let hope be honest when it most seems false
as we face eastward, absent any glow.

We must be honest about the darkness of our world and not so quickly jump to the resolution of Christmas. Come, Lord Jesus!

The Turn of the Tide

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963)

You are unlikely to read a Christmas/Advent poem much like this one. Lewis' mythological mind has sprung into considerable action, filling this poem to the brim with characters both pagan and Christian. It is through Lewis that many of us were shown that there can be something of a redemption to all the pagan mythology of the world's religions, that even they will come and bend the knee, declaring that "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11).

The "air" of this poem is just as discussed previously. All things sense that something is happening, something is about to change. Some are made uneasy, some are stilled, others spring to life. Although we end the poem on Christmas day, the majority of the poem is spent in the spirit of Advent.

The poem is written in somewhat of a loose meter, in which the lines alternate between hexameter (first) and pentameter (second). The pentameter lines rhyme with each other (in pairs). Additionally, the first lines have a regular internal rhyme, where both the middle and end of each line rhyme with each other.

Hedges stiff with ICE; the sedge, in the VICE

God's Grandeur

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844—1889)

Though this poem may not "officially" be a poem written for Advent, it perfectly captures the feeling of longing for the coming of the light. It sets up the dreariness of the world well, concluding in some of my favorite lines of poetry. The Holy Ghost "brood[ing]" is an allusion to Genesis 1 ("hovering"), just moments before Light is spoken into the darkness.

An Unseen Vision

G. Abram Newcomer

This villanelle is also not technically an "Advent" poem, though it most closely resembles one of all my current published poetry. There is the sense of darkness and winter cold, along with the presence of the Spirit in a wind that is both harsh and kind.

I pray that you are able to "place yourself in the darkness" this Advent season! There is much to distract us from the true light of Christmas, so keep your eyes turned toward Bethlehem.

As mentioned last week, I will be taking a short break on Poetry Pie until the week of Christmas. See you then!