Poetry

I had my students working on sonnets the past few weeks, which they presented on the last day of school. Most were delightful. I figured I had better write one if I was making them do it, so here it is.

ODE TO A SONNET
Behold the beauty of a line that breaks
Across a poem spreading waves of words
That tell the thoughts of authors and which makes
Moments or a lifetime pierce like sharp swords
Of experience told. Just a few lines
Which are more lovely and more temperate
Leave an impression in one’s life which pines,
More! Shakespeare, Shelley, Browning aggregate;
To appellate a few poetic minds
Who shaped genre and imagination.
Read, think, love, weep, imbibe, digest those lines.
Sounds, letters, words, and space take shape, move in
And out of lives, marks left indelible
Crafted by authors incomparable.

X-mas

This is the time of year when people get up in arms about the removal of Christ from Christmas, suggest boycotts, get angry when employees of stores say "Happy Holidays!" (Most of them are just doing what their boss told them to do, they don't have a hidden agenda.) I have mixed feelings about the issue. Yes, it bothers me that in the name of inclusion, everything but a specifically Christian celebration is venerated in public. But then again, why are we surprised when, as the Scripture promises, the world hates us? America is not a Christian nation. The world is not a Christian world. Anything that is not Christian, that does not belong to Christ, belongs to Satan. I think that should inform our response. The AFA recently called for a boycott of GAP because of their commercial that has people chanting "Go Christmas, Go Hannukah, Go Kwanzaa..." and ends with something like "Merry dowhateveryouwannakah". They are a retailer. Their goal is to make money, and to be honest, I prefer mentioning everybody to the stupid "Happy Holidays!" or "Season's Greetings!" I don't plan on boycotting GAP for recognizing that not everybody is a Christian or celebrates Christmas. A better response, and one that would make more of a difference, would be to make sure, that wherever we shop this year, and all throughout the year, that we are kind and patient with the sales clerks. Don't huff about long lines or slow service. Smile big and wish them a Merry Christmas, after thanking them. The employees aren't going to notice/care/be affected by the absence of one more faceless consumer. What they will notice is someone treating them with respect and kindness. Self-righteous retreating from the world because not everything is to our liking is about the worst response. I bet Satan loves it when the AFA or groups like that succeed in getting Christians to run and hide instead of engaging in the world, like we are commanded to.