The words above “It will be spring soon, It will be spring soon-” seemed to shout to me this morning as I turned a few pages. They come from the middle of a poem by Philip Larkin entitled Coming. The poem itself doesn’t say much about spring or hope so I will settle for these simple two lines and shout them today as my hope and my belief. However, we mustn’t wish time away. Today the snow sits deep around the house and the roads are creepily quiet for a Monday morning! Snow adds beauty and delight when it arrives for a short visit! Emily Dickinson describes so beautifully the transformation which snow makes possible as it blankets the landscape. Take a moment to pause, yes Spring will be here soon, but don’t hurry or you may miss the majesty and wonder of nature in the shape of snow flakes.
It sifts from leaden sieves,
It powders all the wood,
It fills with alabaster wool
The wrinkles of the road.
It makes an even face
Of mountain and of plain—
Unbroken forehead from the east
Unto the east again.
It reaches to the fence—
It wraps it, rail by rail,
Till it is lost in fleeces;
It flings a crystal veil
On stump and stack and stem—
The summer’s empty room,
Acres of seams where harvests were,
Recordless, but for them.
It ruffles wrists of posts,
As ankles of a queen—
Then stills its artisans like ghosts,
Denying they have been. Emily Dickinson
Prayer:
O God of earth and heaven,
of land and ocean, plain and mountain.
O God of Sun and Moon, of day and night,
of hope and love, of grace and mercy, hear our
morning prayer of praise.
We rejoice that we have breath enough for the moment,
we rejoice that we have hope for today and tonight,
and we dare to make plans for tomorrow and the days
after that.
Hear our prayer for those whose breath is uncertain, who
have run out of hope for today and have none
in reserve for tomorrow.
Hear our prayer for those who fear tomorrow, and
fear even more the day after that.
Those whom we pray for have names, unknown to us,
but for sure they have names and birth dates, brothers and sisters,
parent and grandparents, neighbors and friends and together
they hold tight to each other,
hoping, trusting, believing. Break through the hard hearts and stubborn
desire for revenge of those who could, but refuse to make a difference.
Please O Lord
make it possible for us not just to send prayers, which is the easy work, but for aid agencies to somehow cross borders and barriers that food might arrive and warmth
be delivered in blankets and clothes. Their work is the hard work. May it be spring soon.
O God of love and life hear our prayer. Amen.
Prayers, Poems, and Christian Ponderings 
It truly is a beautiful poem that describes so well the snow scenes that inspired Dickinson as she looked through her window onto the New England winter. Even more perfect is your prayer, so meaningful and full of both hope and reality. Thank you, Edward.
Yesterday a friend shared with me a beautiful version of a favorite carol, In the Bleak Midwinter. We thought about “snow on snow on snow” looking through our own windows and this morning I see our front fence wrapped rail and rail as in the poem. The shadows and sunlight are particularly lovely after a big snow and this one will be with us for quite awhile given the freezing temperatures. That said, it’s plenty of winter beauty and soon I will long for Spring.
LikeLike