Vestry Viewpoint – by John Cain

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote, “One ought, every day at least, hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.” I do my best to live up to that fine idea. Although I must admit: I am very short in the reasonable words department. Facebook and the internet in general make it easy to see a fine picture. Whenever I drive, a daily occurrence for me, I hear songs. I prefer Van Morrison among others. In morning and at night, I read a poem or two along with some meditation daily readings. My sister gave me a New Testament broken down into daily readings and for years I have made those daily short passages a daily habit. Some of the poems I read are about faith, however, many are not.
Searching the internet for Christian poets always reveals certain names, such as Gerard Manloy Hopkins, W.H. Auden, T.S. Elliot, Countee Cullen, and C.S. Lewis. I have not read Cullen and am only familiar with Lewis’ prose. His Screwtape Letters was the first of his books I read. I enjoyed it very much and it led me to Mere Christianity, which I consider excellent. These two books are essential stepping-stones in my path to St. Andrews.
Milton’s simple sonnet, O His Blindness, more inspires me than Paradise Lost. Although I cannot read Milton without remembering A.E. Housman’s couplet “And malt does more than Milton can/to Justify God’s Ways to man,” which tends to take a bit of the luster off the Puritan’s piety. Even with Milton, like so many other writers such as Dostoyevsky, intended or not, the devil gets the best lines and saints seem rather dull. The work of Donne and Dante need no mention by me. I encourage people to read them. However, it is the contemporary poets I want to write about.
Mischa Willett, who teaches English at Seattle Pacific University, recommends five Contemporary Christian Poets in an article you can access with a simple Google search. In response to the question of whether there are good Christian writers, Willet respond- ed, “I always wish I carried around a backpack full of books by Mark Jarman, or Jennifer Maier, or Dana Gioia, the thrust into their readerly hands, beaming, ‘it’s still happening!’ It would be a kind of ministry, edifying the body thus.” In his article, he recommends Scott Carins, Luci Shaw, Christian Wiman, Marilyn Nelson, and Geoffrey Hill. Of these, the only poet I have read is Mark Jarman. Bone Fires came out in 2011 and contains new and selected poems, including his Unholy Sonnets. His poems are thought- provoking and original.
Mary Oliver is another fine poet. Quotes from her often found their a way into sermons I enjoyed very much not long ago. Of all the contemporary Christian poets, the one I most enjoy is R.S. Thomas, a Welsh poet and Anglican priest. He was born in 1913, a year before his Welsh contemporary, Dylan Thomas, and outlived him by almost fifty years. Even so, I doubt he ever drank as much as Dylan Thomas. He certainly did not achieve the same notoriety but one should never gauge their love of a poet by what others say. It is what speaks to your heart that is most important. R.S. Thomas was a dour man with a harsh message, but there is music in his words. His short poem, St. Anthony, ends:
“Night long he ranged the Bacchanalian dark Himself the prey, the hunter, and the wood.”
I first read both Dylan Thomas and R.S. Thomas in a poetry anthology, Today’s Poets, edited by Chad Walsh that I purchased over fifty years ago. I was attracted to the book’s cover. I still have that book and return to it from time to time. One of the poets in the book that one no longer hears much about is Kenneth Patchen. His poem, Land of the Never-Ending Heart, ends:
“O hills of spirits guard each our thing….
And in its singing find their song.”
The poetry section of Barnes and Noble is small and most of the limited shelf space is given to poets who died hundreds of years ago or will be forgotten in less than ten. I do not expect to see any poetry competitions on Netflix anytime soon. Poetry is not for everyone, but it is for some and will endure because, more than other art forms, it speaks to the imagination of the heart. As you search for the words to express the faith that works for you, you may find among the voices I have mentioned a voice that inspires, comforts, and makes you laugh. I certainly have.