I am creating a series of art and poems based on the words Jesus spoke to women. This poem is based on the account of Jesus’ words to a Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. You can see a video of the art creation HERE or below. *updated from an earlier version on 5/11/23 I have always been headstrongoften in the the wrong directionleaving wreckand ruininside and out my bruised hearta well dug deepsoaks up shifting shadows,a turn of the mouth,the spaces...
I am creating a series of art and poems based on the words Jesus spoke to women. This poem is based on the account of Jesus’ words to a woman with a curved spine found in Luke 13:10-13. He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. Behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years. She was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up. When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said...
I am creating a series of art and poems based on the words Jesus spoke to women. This poem is based on the account of Jesus’ conversation with Martha found in Luke 10:38-42. spices, shopping lists, times, menus, moneyI hold my homein my head my place fixedkneading for needs,tangible and solid a well-ordered house of peacewhere no one walks awayhungry but today’s tasksrun dizzying circleswhile Mary sits absorbing my slower sisternearly touching his feetassumes a learner’s pose irritation sours meuntil I burstto...
I am creating a series of art and poems based on the words Jesus spoke to women. This poem is based on the account of Jesus’ conversation with a Canaanite woman with a demon-possessed daughter found in Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30. my fragile daughtera frayed sail in endless squallsme, her anchor casting hopeon every idolcrushed by idle indifference a foreign woman in a border townis unmoored, useless as a stray dog I hear the healing Teacherhas come to townand I go...
I am creating a series of art and poems based on the words Jesus spoke to women. This poem is based on the story of Jesus raising the 12-year-old daughter of Jairus, the synagogue leader in Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-56 at the end of exhaustionin and out of lightI finally drink deepof sleep and pressing darkness outside the rise and fallof wailing –for death stingsa needling pain “Don’t fearonly believeShe is sleeping” He is nearhis eyesunshroudedand seeing “Little girl arise” black...
I am creating a series of art and poems based on the words Jesus spoke to women. This poem is based on the story of Jesus raising the widow’s son from the dead in Luke 7:11-17. one large crowd going outwith weepingmeets a buoyant and curious crowdgoing in buzzing around the Teacher I stumble against the waves of shock and tearsmy only son’s bodysapped of lifea close copy of his father’son a similar bier Pain in, pain outthe expansion of my lungsa merciless...
I am the bleeding womanmy body a brittle wineskinleaking joymy purse exhaustedby the fruitless help of healers I have longed forrelease from hopeheart sick with its delayto despair fullytempts meand yet I hold twelve years has weaknessimprisoned me my boundaries drawn unpleasantlyin law and bloodshadowed and untouched an urgent crowd now rushes Jesus to a fading daughterher 12 years blooming and belovedto my 12 shrinking and stainedbut like a shockhope shoots through me with all that remains of faithlike...
I am creating a series of art and poems based on the words Jesus spoke to women. This poem is based on the story of the woman caught in adultery from John 8:1-11. Did he come to temple at dawnknowing I’d be caughtin a top ten sindragged alonedefenseless, half-dresseda pawn in the lawkeepers’ game tocatch the strange teacher? their one solutionis stonestheir goal–their rightness, not minethey demand He choosethe sinneror the stone as if stones could cleanmy conscience crushedby condemnation they spread...
I am going through a series of art and poems based on the words Jesus spoke to women. This is based on the words Jesus spoke to his mother, Mary, at a wedding in Cana recorded in John 2:1-11. Grown now, Jesus calls me “woman”endearing me even knowing all my strugglesconstructing a family in the ruins of clashing empires at this wedding we dancerhythms of celebrationin a world of pressure and disappointmentthe wine loosens our grief until“they have no wine,” I...
