Issue V: Labyrinthine Poetry and Prose
Beyond the Wall by Mike James
October 11, 2019
October 11, 2019
For some reason, I can't quit thinking about this dream that happened early this morning.
It started with me standing in front of a massive brick wall that reaches into the thick white clouds above - red bricks and gray mortar fill the horizon. There's no door in sight.
"Where did this wall come from?" I ask myself.
A booming voice from nowhere says, "You built it."
Questions abound in my mind. How could I have built this? What purpose does it serve? Is there anything on the other side, beyond the wall? All questions, I can't answer.
While strolling along the wall, I see a book lying on the ground. When I reach for it, the cover suddenly opens. I grasp the book with my right hand and slowly begin to read. "In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth." Another question, what's a Bible doing here?
After finishing chapter one of Genesis, a red brick stair slides out of the wall. I step up and continue reading with a smile, and another step appears. "I got this."
The more I read, the more my mind is enlightened, the more stairs appear. With incredible speed, I'm racing through the Old Testament and right into the Gospel of Mark while stairs continue to emerge from the wall mysteriously.
The closer I get to the top of the wall, the more I'm changed. Learning about the love our God pours out to all of us, convicts me about my wrong attitude towards others. I haven't been a caring person for a long time. My pride got in the way. It wouldn't let me love my family and friends.
"What a fool I've been."
The stairs continue to lead me to the top of the wall. Slowly, I close the Bible after finishing the last verse in Revelation twenty-two and step on the top of the wall. It's at least ten feet wide and paved in what looks like silver.
The view is breathtaking! Heaven stands before me in all its beauty. The streets of gold are glistening in the sunlight. The twelve pearl gate stand like guardians of the Holy City. Activity flourishes along the horizon.
A hand gently squeezes my right shoulder; I turn to find a man with a gentle smile and loving eyes. He's dressed in a long flowing white robe trimmed in gold. "It's good to see you, my friend."
Somehow, I know it's my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I fall to my knees, sobbing in my hands.
"Rise, my son."
After collecting myself, I ask, "Why the wall, Father?
He smiles, and says, "The wall represented the distance we were apart. The more you studied the word, the closer we became. Remember that."
~
Suddenly, I'm awake in my bed with a pillow soaked in my tears. I slide out of bed and fall to knees, praying. "I will always remember what You said, Father. Thank You for the guidance. In Jesus` name. Amen."
It started with me standing in front of a massive brick wall that reaches into the thick white clouds above - red bricks and gray mortar fill the horizon. There's no door in sight.
"Where did this wall come from?" I ask myself.
A booming voice from nowhere says, "You built it."
Questions abound in my mind. How could I have built this? What purpose does it serve? Is there anything on the other side, beyond the wall? All questions, I can't answer.
While strolling along the wall, I see a book lying on the ground. When I reach for it, the cover suddenly opens. I grasp the book with my right hand and slowly begin to read. "In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth." Another question, what's a Bible doing here?
After finishing chapter one of Genesis, a red brick stair slides out of the wall. I step up and continue reading with a smile, and another step appears. "I got this."
The more I read, the more my mind is enlightened, the more stairs appear. With incredible speed, I'm racing through the Old Testament and right into the Gospel of Mark while stairs continue to emerge from the wall mysteriously.
The closer I get to the top of the wall, the more I'm changed. Learning about the love our God pours out to all of us, convicts me about my wrong attitude towards others. I haven't been a caring person for a long time. My pride got in the way. It wouldn't let me love my family and friends.
"What a fool I've been."
The stairs continue to lead me to the top of the wall. Slowly, I close the Bible after finishing the last verse in Revelation twenty-two and step on the top of the wall. It's at least ten feet wide and paved in what looks like silver.
The view is breathtaking! Heaven stands before me in all its beauty. The streets of gold are glistening in the sunlight. The twelve pearl gate stand like guardians of the Holy City. Activity flourishes along the horizon.
A hand gently squeezes my right shoulder; I turn to find a man with a gentle smile and loving eyes. He's dressed in a long flowing white robe trimmed in gold. "It's good to see you, my friend."
Somehow, I know it's my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I fall to my knees, sobbing in my hands.
"Rise, my son."
After collecting myself, I ask, "Why the wall, Father?
He smiles, and says, "The wall represented the distance we were apart. The more you studied the word, the closer we became. Remember that."
~
Suddenly, I'm awake in my bed with a pillow soaked in my tears. I slide out of bed and fall to knees, praying. "I will always remember what You said, Father. Thank You for the guidance. In Jesus` name. Amen."
The Saving Blow by Timothy Grable
September 11, 2019
September 11, 2019
My blade struck the ground
And saw it rushing away, like vapor
As smoke from a roaring flame
The Living Stone, exposed from below,
Bled song and sustenance, milk and well-wishing
And I saw the filaments reach unto the sky
Hugging the air, one horizon to the other
Light scattering 'long my sacred forge
And the Living Stone reached for me,
Touching my pommel made of good fruits
And each fruit praised the Stone, whispering:
"holy, holy, holy art thou."
And saw it rushing away, like vapor
As smoke from a roaring flame
The Living Stone, exposed from below,
Bled song and sustenance, milk and well-wishing
And I saw the filaments reach unto the sky
Hugging the air, one horizon to the other
Light scattering 'long my sacred forge
And the Living Stone reached for me,
Touching my pommel made of good fruits
And each fruit praised the Stone, whispering:
"holy, holy, holy art thou."
Hagar by Sarah Elise
August 19, 2019
August 19, 2019
She doesn't leave when I turn on the lights
Or start the oil diffuser
Tangy, gentle lemon doesn't push her
Out of the atmosphere
She - that is, fear - is rather fierce in the face of me
And my methods of coping
Hagar wandered the desert
And found death's door looked quite like a well
Until she tasted it
And its waters
And found she could breathe again
I've found the well, and, well
I can breathe - I'm alive - I am thankful
I am hopeful
I am Hagar in that I know God sees me
I am not Hagar in that I hear Him when He tells me
Who I am
She - fear - didn't leave when I painted my room
The color of saints
Nor when I put words on the wall to quell my mind
And while I know there are angels in this place
I can't help but remember when there were demons
And wonder if there still are
So I wander my desert
And write tally marks on the side of the well
I can count the times He's brought me back
Better than know myself as He does
I can count more than I can speak
But sometimes, in the silence of my room
Under the covers, and long shadows
I muster the courage
To believe I am Who He says I am
Turn my back to fear, and remind myself
Hagar made it out of the desert.
Or start the oil diffuser
Tangy, gentle lemon doesn't push her
Out of the atmosphere
She - that is, fear - is rather fierce in the face of me
And my methods of coping
Hagar wandered the desert
And found death's door looked quite like a well
Until she tasted it
And its waters
And found she could breathe again
I've found the well, and, well
I can breathe - I'm alive - I am thankful
I am hopeful
I am Hagar in that I know God sees me
I am not Hagar in that I hear Him when He tells me
Who I am
She - fear - didn't leave when I painted my room
The color of saints
Nor when I put words on the wall to quell my mind
And while I know there are angels in this place
I can't help but remember when there were demons
And wonder if there still are
So I wander my desert
And write tally marks on the side of the well
I can count the times He's brought me back
Better than know myself as He does
I can count more than I can speak
But sometimes, in the silence of my room
Under the covers, and long shadows
I muster the courage
To believe I am Who He says I am
Turn my back to fear, and remind myself
Hagar made it out of the desert.
ATM Prayer by Victoria Crawford
August 15, 2019
August 15, 2019
If you slot in a penny,
a gumboil rolls out.
A dollar on the slider
delivers
a soda, a bag of chips.
Technology miracles
present on the instant.
A credit card,
ATM plastic,
the marvel depends on you.
It may be chancy
or be found unfunded
no matter what wishing,
what cursing you invoke
They may give
what you want.
Prayer, the coin invisible,
at heaven’s ATM
provides
what you truly need.
a gumboil rolls out.
A dollar on the slider
delivers
a soda, a bag of chips.
Technology miracles
present on the instant.
A credit card,
ATM plastic,
the marvel depends on you.
It may be chancy
or be found unfunded
no matter what wishing,
what cursing you invoke
They may give
what you want.
Prayer, the coin invisible,
at heaven’s ATM
provides
what you truly need.
Song at the Sea by Anna DeFreitas
August 8, 2019
August 8, 2019
The song at the sea is a victory poem, a thanksgiving hymn, sung by Moses, Miriam and the Israelites after the crossing of the Yam Suf, the Sea of Reeds. It celebrates God's victory over the Egyptians, and praises God for His deliverance and power. It is a poem rich in imagery and hyperbole, and the parallelism of the verses portrays a visual image of the two columns of water making the path for the Israelites across the sea. The written account of the deliverance at the Sea of Reeds is a combination of prose and poetry, and it is one of the older poems in the Hebrew Bible.
The language, style and archaism show many similarities with other poems of the late Bronze Age. However, some scholars believe the poem was composed while the Israelites were living in Canaan, due to the references of the Philistia and the Temple, probably in the early monarchic period. The Masoretes, by their time, believed that the song at the sea was sung right after crossing the sea, and interpreted Exodus 15:17 as a prophetic reference to the future.
The practice to register historical events by prose and poetry was a common motif among the Israelites' neighbors during the time of the Exodus. The use of prose and poetry in a historical narrative by Moses may be inspired by Egyptian's victory narratives, like the King Piye Stela.
In the Ancient world, the sea was seen as a threat to the cosmic order. Genesis 1:2 states: “the earth was unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind (ruach) from God sweeping over the water.” To the ancient people, the world was created from the chaos, an active and evil force. Greek mythology opposes beauty, order, to chaos. Eris is the Greek goddess of chaos, strife and discord, opposed to Harmonia. The wind (or the breath) of God over the surface of the waters displays His control over the chaos and the oceans.
Nahum 1:4 says God controls the waters in the flood. In the exodus, God blows the water with His breath, creating a path in the middle of the sea. The wind holds the two pillars of water while the Israelites cross the deep of the sea; then the wind blows the water into tumultuous waves, drowning the Egyptian army. God's own breath (ruach) heaps up the waves, and with it He throws the waters upon the enemy. The wind is the instrument to execute God's will. Jesus says, “The wind blows wherever it pleases”.
We can see the same parallel of God's control over the waters with some episodes in Jesus' life. In Luke 8, Jesus calms a storm, rebuking the winds and the waves. He exercises total control upon the wind and the waters. The disciples ask, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Jesus shows he is equal to God, having rulership over the sea.
The Song at the Sea was probably written to be used in liturgy. In Jewish prayer today, the entire poem is recited every morning in the Shacharit prayers, and verses 11 and 18 are recited after the Shema prayer, recognizing God as the King of all the earth.
The song of Miriam shows the women playing a prominent part in the episode, and assuming a leading role in the liturgy, praise and dance. Some Bible scholars say that Miriam's song provides the antiphonal response to Moses' song, accompanied by tambourine and dance. Other scholars believe that the song at the sea is Miriam's song, with Moses and the people responding antiphonally.
The song at the sea shows parallels to other victory songs and thanksgiving hymns in the Bible, like the song of Deborah, the song of Hannah, the song of Zechariah, and many Psalms. In Judges 5:4-5, Deborah praises the dominion of God upon the earth and the heavens. Hannah follows the same pattern, praising God who triumphs over the enemies, giving salvation and deliverance to His people, His faithful ones, in I Samuel 2. In Luke 1:68, Zechariah praises God’s redemption of his people.
The Song at the Sea begins with the same apostrophe it ends, like an antiphonal chant: ‘I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.’ Verse 2a states, “The Lord is my strength and might; He is become my deliverance.” In Psalms 118:14, David repeats the same phrase, “The Lord is my strength and might, He has become my deliverance.” In Hebrew, the words are the same: “Ozi vezimrat Yah vaiehi li lishuah.” This verse also appears in Isaiah 12:2, showing that it probably became a liturgical song.
Verse 11 contains another liturgical formula, “Mi chamocha baelim Adonai; Mi chamocha baelim neadarbakodesh, nora tehilot, osseh fele.” It is recited in the Jewish prayers: “Who is like You, O God, among the powerful ones (or the gods); Who is like You, powerful in holiness, awesome in splendor, working wonders!”
The last two verses speak of God's Sanctuary and the Holy Mountain, probably a prophecy about the Temple in Jerusalem, and Mount Zion. It finishes, “Adonai yimloch leolam vaed”, another Jewish liturgical verse. It refers to God's kingship, His eternal dominion over the whole world. Then Miriam finishes the song with the same verses it started, like a chorus, “Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.”
In Revelation 15:3, the saints sing the Song of Moses, servant of God, and the Song of the Lamb. We will sing the Song of Moses, with Moses, in the end of the days (acharit hayamim), praising God and the Lamb in heaven. As Rabbi Nahmod says, “And if you listen closely, you can still hear Moshe, Miriam and the rest of Bnei Yisrael singing our song at the sea. Let's join them.”
The language, style and archaism show many similarities with other poems of the late Bronze Age. However, some scholars believe the poem was composed while the Israelites were living in Canaan, due to the references of the Philistia and the Temple, probably in the early monarchic period. The Masoretes, by their time, believed that the song at the sea was sung right after crossing the sea, and interpreted Exodus 15:17 as a prophetic reference to the future.
The practice to register historical events by prose and poetry was a common motif among the Israelites' neighbors during the time of the Exodus. The use of prose and poetry in a historical narrative by Moses may be inspired by Egyptian's victory narratives, like the King Piye Stela.
In the Ancient world, the sea was seen as a threat to the cosmic order. Genesis 1:2 states: “the earth was unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind (ruach) from God sweeping over the water.” To the ancient people, the world was created from the chaos, an active and evil force. Greek mythology opposes beauty, order, to chaos. Eris is the Greek goddess of chaos, strife and discord, opposed to Harmonia. The wind (or the breath) of God over the surface of the waters displays His control over the chaos and the oceans.
Nahum 1:4 says God controls the waters in the flood. In the exodus, God blows the water with His breath, creating a path in the middle of the sea. The wind holds the two pillars of water while the Israelites cross the deep of the sea; then the wind blows the water into tumultuous waves, drowning the Egyptian army. God's own breath (ruach) heaps up the waves, and with it He throws the waters upon the enemy. The wind is the instrument to execute God's will. Jesus says, “The wind blows wherever it pleases”.
We can see the same parallel of God's control over the waters with some episodes in Jesus' life. In Luke 8, Jesus calms a storm, rebuking the winds and the waves. He exercises total control upon the wind and the waters. The disciples ask, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Jesus shows he is equal to God, having rulership over the sea.
The Song at the Sea was probably written to be used in liturgy. In Jewish prayer today, the entire poem is recited every morning in the Shacharit prayers, and verses 11 and 18 are recited after the Shema prayer, recognizing God as the King of all the earth.
The song of Miriam shows the women playing a prominent part in the episode, and assuming a leading role in the liturgy, praise and dance. Some Bible scholars say that Miriam's song provides the antiphonal response to Moses' song, accompanied by tambourine and dance. Other scholars believe that the song at the sea is Miriam's song, with Moses and the people responding antiphonally.
The song at the sea shows parallels to other victory songs and thanksgiving hymns in the Bible, like the song of Deborah, the song of Hannah, the song of Zechariah, and many Psalms. In Judges 5:4-5, Deborah praises the dominion of God upon the earth and the heavens. Hannah follows the same pattern, praising God who triumphs over the enemies, giving salvation and deliverance to His people, His faithful ones, in I Samuel 2. In Luke 1:68, Zechariah praises God’s redemption of his people.
The Song at the Sea begins with the same apostrophe it ends, like an antiphonal chant: ‘I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.’ Verse 2a states, “The Lord is my strength and might; He is become my deliverance.” In Psalms 118:14, David repeats the same phrase, “The Lord is my strength and might, He has become my deliverance.” In Hebrew, the words are the same: “Ozi vezimrat Yah vaiehi li lishuah.” This verse also appears in Isaiah 12:2, showing that it probably became a liturgical song.
Verse 11 contains another liturgical formula, “Mi chamocha baelim Adonai; Mi chamocha baelim neadarbakodesh, nora tehilot, osseh fele.” It is recited in the Jewish prayers: “Who is like You, O God, among the powerful ones (or the gods); Who is like You, powerful in holiness, awesome in splendor, working wonders!”
The last two verses speak of God's Sanctuary and the Holy Mountain, probably a prophecy about the Temple in Jerusalem, and Mount Zion. It finishes, “Adonai yimloch leolam vaed”, another Jewish liturgical verse. It refers to God's kingship, His eternal dominion over the whole world. Then Miriam finishes the song with the same verses it started, like a chorus, “Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.”
In Revelation 15:3, the saints sing the Song of Moses, servant of God, and the Song of the Lamb. We will sing the Song of Moses, with Moses, in the end of the days (acharit hayamim), praising God and the Lamb in heaven. As Rabbi Nahmod says, “And if you listen closely, you can still hear Moshe, Miriam and the rest of Bnei Yisrael singing our song at the sea. Let's join them.”