God's Middleman is a Woman: A Poem for Mother's Day

God’s Middleman is a Woman

(a poem for Mother’s Day)

Seems even God needs an

agent…of sorts

There’s no heavenly factory for

this production

The Creator of All is

absent a shipping

department

Life comes our way through

a middleman who

is a woman

God uses flesh to make

flesh

She is a tender yet

tough disperser

of something

we call birth

God’s grand design needs

loving help

to give life its start

So in the midst

of struggle and pain

there comes a miracle-

a new breath

a child

All because of God’s middleman

and we call her

“Mother”

Jody Seymour

Mother’s Day 2019

Death's Lament: An Easter Poem

Death’s Lament

(An Easter Poem)

So long I have kept watch

at a door whose

key alone

I possess

But now this upstart

divine avatar

dares rob

me of my

prize

I watched as they stored

his broken body

in one of

my tombs-

And once again

I

slammed the door

And now on this third day

a terrible sunrise

seems to burn away

my shadowy

power

O the sadness I feel

as he stands

there

in front of a

weeping woman

who sees him not

What shall I now do?

my hands empty

for I have laughed

so long

at their everlasting

defeat, all

because of me

Now my lament is deep

for he is alive again

not so much for him

as

for them

What is this haunting

word that

pierces my dark

heart much

as

his hands and feet

were marked?

Its sound frightens me

and now I sense

that

all will be

transformed-

This word that changes

everything-

that changes me-

“Resurrection”

Jody Seymour

Easter 2019

Crazy Religion: A Poem for Holy Week- The thoughts of Pontius Pilate

Crazy Religion

A poem for Holy Week

(The thoughts of Pontius Pilate)

Their crazy religion creates

empty Hosannas

that sound full

Promises for them have

been so broken

and their memories

long dead now

desire

resurrection

But there shall be no

new life in

their desert of hope

This surprising cactus

that appears to

bloom

will soon be

cut down

They think him some king

but he has no

kingdom…no rule

He forgets that he is

my subject always-

his hands tied to

a reality he

cannot escape

Bring me water that I

may wash away

the residue of

their

crazy religion

I will once again kill

their longing

for a more

that

cannot be

It will be over soon-

This premature sunrise

of dusty prophecies

The sun will set on

this crazy religion

And I can go home

and sleep

and forget

Bring me water…

Jody Seymour

Holy Week 2019

So I Had this Dream

So I had this dream last night:

            I walked up to my church and there was a sign on the door that read, “Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors: the People of the United Methodist Church.”  But when I tried to open the door it was locked.  I could hear people inside talking about something but I could not get in.

            As I walked away I saw a group of people sitting under a tree.  They were holding hands and crying.

            I turned and walked down the street to another church.  The door opened and I could sense even without words being said that everyone was accepted and affirmed for who they were.

            I knew I could stay but I was feeling very sad so I walked away.  I looked over and there was Jesus sitting on a bench by himself.  He was looking out as if he was thinking about something.  He looked sad and lonely.  Since I felt sad and lonely I decided to sit down beside him.

            He did not look my way at first.  I leaned my head against his shoulder.  A tear ran down my cheek.  Jesus reached out his hand and caught my tear in his cupped hand.  I noticed the scar on his wrist.

            He then put his hand on my head and whispered, “All will be well someday.”

            I woke up and realized that it was not yet, “someday.”