Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. 

   Worship the Lord with gladness;

   come into his presence with singing. 

Psalm 100:1-2 (NRSV)

As I mentioned Sunday, for me, a life without poetry is not an option

Do you read poetry? Have you ever? Do you read it out loud? Have you listened to others read it? Well,, if you’ve ever been inside Pilgrim Church, you have! The Bible is full of poetry, from the first books of the Old Testament right through to the Psalms and beyond. Meter and rhyme, in Hebrew, Greek and even English, are a big part of our holiest book. Scripture was carried inside people’s memories long before it was every written down. Many of us remember things better when we can sing them, or hum them, or put them in a meter. Heightening language this way seems to lock it in our minds better.

On Sunday, I focused on the Lord’s prayer: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,/Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. I didn’t get deeply into it in the interest of time, but those first two lines are iambic septameter: seven iambs of soft-loud stress. Remind you of anything? Yep, good old Shakespeare, who wrote in iambic pentameter, five iambs of soft-loud stress. Compare: But soft, what light through yonder window breaks to Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth…

The Heartbeat of Verse

Forgive me for cutting it short, but can you hear the rhythm, like a heartbeat? It’s no accident that Biblical translators made sure that this iconic prayer fit into that iconic iambic rhythm.

Have you ever performed Shakespeare?

Well I have! One of the first things people ask is always: “How do you remember all those lines! It must be so much harder with Shakespeare!” And it’s not. If you know what you’re saying, and if you learn the rhythm, then that beautiful internal beat structure makes it easier to learn and to remember. It’s harder for me to learn modern plays than Shakespeare, seriously.

Poetry is Life

The poetry of scripture is a wonderful reminder to look at the world outside of our own lenses. The way poets frame the world is often different from our day-to-day experience. Even in free-verse where there is no meter, poets look at the world with different intentions and they help us see things we couldn’t see on our own. They make my life richer, and they could do the same for you. Choose scripture poems, like Psalm 23 or 121, or the Beatitudes in the New Testament, or go secular.

God can speak in all sorts of places, and, as we say in the United Church of Christ, God is still speaking!

Do you already have a favorite poet? I mentioned Mary Oliver on Sunday, and she’s probably mine, but I’m also a big fan of Robert Frost and Ann Sexton and Allen Ginsberg and Gaia Rajas and Maya Angelou, among many others. But you don’t have to live any of those! Find your own…

Get a Daily Dose of Poetry at poetry foundation.org

Head on over to Poetry Foundation and find a new poet. Or discover an old favorite! There are thousands of poets and poems on that site, and you can read freely. Go to the library and check the poetry section. Order a book online, either an anthology of poets or collections of single authors. This summer, why not give yourself the gift of seeing the world a little differently; through the eyes of a poet.

You could even visit with your old pal Shakespeare and enjoy some of his sonnets, also known as “Bill’s Psalms.” Whoever your poetry journey takes you, please be sure to let me know. I’m always looking for my next favorite poet.