Reading a Poem A Day for a Year

I love poetry, but lately I have not been reading it much. I want to try and bring the reading of poetry back into my regular reading life, and I figured that a good way to do that would be to start with something designed for this purpose--The One Year Book of Poetry.

Not only does it contain a poem a day to read, it also has a Christian devotional message to go with each poem.

Another great way to read more poetry this year is to read some good poetry blogs and websites. My two favorites are: Kingdom Poets and dVerse. dVerse actually has daily prompts, so you can try writing your own poetry for fun. You can even join other poetry writers and link your poem to their community posts. The link for both of these websites is on the side panel of my blog for easy reference.

It's January 11th as I write this, and I have already missed 11 days, so I will be trying to catch up with the readings.

I love the first poem selection for day one. It's "The Lamb" by William Blake. He is one of my favorite poets. The poem really moved me and spoke to me because I have been feeling quite sad and disturbed by recent events in the news that struck me as terrifying and disheartening concerning the growing power and influence of evil in the world, and also the deception, cruelty, and dehumanizing rhetoric that is becoming a normal part of our public discourse.

The poem reminded me of the power and influence that goodness has, and that God has, and that we can experience in Christ. We don't have to be powerful in the way that evil leaders are powerful. Our power comes from Christ. It also showcases the beauty of innocent and gentle things through the imagery of things that we consider to be "powerless'--a lamb and a child.

Here is the poem in its entirety. It's comforting in these dark days...

"The Lamb", by William Blake

Little Lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee?

Gave thee life, and bid thee feed

By the stream and o'er the mead;

Gave thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing, wooly, bright;

Gave thee such a tender voice,

Making all the vales rejoice?

    Little Lamb, who made thee?

    Dost thou know who made thee?

    Little Lamb, I'll tell thee

    Little Lamb, I'll tell thee:

He is called by thy name,

For he calls himself a Lamb.

He is meek, and he is mild;

He became a little child.

I a child, and thou a lamb,

We are called by his name.

    Little Lamb, God bless thee!

    Little Lamb, God bless thee!

So many beautiful words here that are in stark contrast to the powers that be in the world today: "softest", "little", "meek", and "mild". It's a reminder to me of where true power lies.