A to Z Blog Challenge Meets NaPoWriMo
Theme: It’s the Little Things
April 8, 2015
Gratitude
I raise my thanks and gratitudes,
not because the maker or the world requires;
not for modern plastic platitudes
do my grateful lists exist,
but for my own dark attitudes.
And the item first and last
is that the list is always long…
God
I need some more
of Malcolm’s God,
who weeps with us and with us stays,
the God of love who’s kneeling at our feet,
who faces down for us the danger, shame, and fear,
who wells and flows with mercy pity love,
who loved us into life, and sheds a wash of tears
that we might waken and face our fears,
the lion-breathed, the fuzzy-pawed—
I need some more
of Malcolm’s God.
This is Malcolm.
Many of the lines of this poem are straight out of Malcolm’s poems. This is one place Malcolm plays: https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/blog/
Pushing the Bruise 
Oh, Malcolm’s God is a good, good God
and a very good God is he.
The way Malcolm scries the world
gives birth to rich poetry.
(but not this!)
Thank you for the many reminders to stop and enjoy the small things. I’m grateful. Love this poetry series of yours. Enjoying it so much.
Hahaha! Awesome poem, Antonia! I love the part about how he scries the world. Thank you for your kind comments about my series. I’m enjoying the playtime, and it’s good to hear that others are, too.
Gorgeous, Ros. Thank you. Having heard Malcolm speak recently, I understand your admiration of him and your longing for more of his God a little better. Beautiful!
Carryl, I forgot that you got to see him! Isn’t he just a lovely specimen of human and artist? Thanks for your kind words.
He is, indeed. “Lovely” is a wonderful description of him.
Malcolm has the right idea. I prefer to think of God as more New Testament, by my side and in my corner, than Old Testament, never happy, always angry.
Glad I found you through the A to Z Challenge.
Eli @ Coach Daddy (#1209)
Eli, I agree! New covenant, new rules! Focusing on the love and mercy over here. Thank you for coming by to read and comment!
Yes, thanks for this Ros! Before you added the link, I thought you meant Malcom X. And I was trying to remember how he loved like a lion and it was giving me funny pictures in my mind. Because wasn’t he a little dangerous? or something. I thought maybe that’s we needed more of him because he brought about change. But my knowledge of him is as fuzzy as my vision. 😀 Ha ha! Enjoyed learning about a new poet!
Have a great day!
Amy
Amy…Malcolm X! Hahaha! That’s awesome! Yes, he was a little bit dangerous, but aren’t all revolutionaries? Jesus was, too, no? If you haven’t read Malcolm X’s autobiography, at least the part about when he was in jail and learned to read, you might consider it. It’s powerful. I’m so glad you got to “meet” Malcolm Guite and his phenomenal poetry!
Me too. Fascinating. I went to check him out and he’s chaplain of my old college!
He IS! That’s so awesome!
Oh, I love this. I read Malcolm’s blog as well, and you are right–we all need more of Malcolm’s God. I love the first poem most though, especially that the gratitude list is always long. How often that reminder can change my perspective (and how often I need it to).
And I’m finding I need (once again) the perspective shift offered by the gratitude practice. Thank you for reading and commenting!
I remember reading this when you first posted it, but I guess I never posted a comment. So, I’m glad to rediscover it now. As you know, I am a firm believer in daily gratitude lists as well. At the end of the day, we all have much to be grateful for – even if it takes more effort to find it.
Thank you.
🙂 I see what you did there, Valerie.
Sigh. I nearly always sigh after reading a Roslynn poem. Your words touch my heart. Thank you for sharing Malcolm’s God with us.
Aw, thank you!
I always learn something about the world of poetry from your posts. It warrants pause for reflection on everything there is to be grateful for. As you reference the list is long.
Thank you, Via! Agreed–it’s always so long! Even on bad days, it’s long.
Oh goodness, the beauty of this. I need some more of Malcolm’s God too. I’m off to read his blog. Malcolm’s, not God’s : )
Hahahaha! And I needed this laugh this morning!
Next idea: “If God blogged…” 😉