A WORD ABOUT MY POETRY

         I have been writing poetry since I was a boy.  After my call to become a minister I have been writing primarily religious poetry.  For over fifty years I have been working on a poetic companion to the New Testament, which now numbers more than 2000 poems.  I don’t know if I’ll ever finish that writing project, but I’m still at it.  I’m currently working on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians.

        My intention all along has been to use this art form to share my faith and to help people understand and appreciate the power and the relevance of the Bible.

        Most of my poems are based on biblical texts. Almost all of them are in rhyme and meter. That has been a real challenge. There is always the temptation to resort to blank or free verse. I agree with Robert Frost’s comment that writing blank verse is like playing tennis without a net.

        The challenge for me has been to continue to use rhyme and meter

• without  resorting to forced rhyme or doggerel (as, for example, in some of the     paraphrases of the psalms).  Some of our favorite hymns are very bad poetry.  For example, “The Lord’s my Shepherd.  I’ll not want. He makes me down to lie.  In pastures green he leadeth me the quiet waters by.”

• while being

        -  true to the text, which means biblically faithful and theologically responsible,
        -  spiritually motivated, which means listening to and relying upon the Holy Spirit,
        -  understandable, so that people don’t have to ask, “What did he mean by that?”,
        -  relevant, which means related to people’s faith and life, and hopefully,
        -  inspirational, for use in personal devotions, Bible study, and as illustrative
           material for church bulletins, pastors, teachers, and others

  While my poetry varies in form and style, in my poetic reflections on the New Testament nine groups or categories of poems can be identified:

        -  paraphrases of the text (often the most difficult to write)
        -  expositions of the text (expounding on its meaning)
        -  applications of the text to our lives
        -  “take-offs” from the text (inspired by my reading and reflection)
        -  hymns intended for congregational worship
        -  spiritual songs for congregational or less formal worship
        -  anthems for choral use
        -  prayers (to be used as such)
        -  catch-all

        Individual poems may reflect different combinations of the above types.  A poem may, for example, be both a prayer and a hymn.  Most of my poems, however, fall into one of those categories.

        I have found that the particular translation I use impacts how I respond poetically. The language of each successive translation has become less poetic, more prosaic (KJV  ➔ RSV  ➔ NRSV). That would apply to most modern translations and paraphrases.

        The final catch-all category includes all of my poems that are not directly related to or inspired by a particular biblical text.  These could be humorous, serious, philosophic, or personal reflections about almost anything having to do with our life here on earth.

        I hope that you enjoy the poems and that you will occasionally if not often gain new insights into the texts to which they relate. I'd appreciate your letting me know when that is the case, and if you don't feel like commenting, at least click on "Like"!