Thrown into a field I
Kick about in blood and dirt
And everyone who passed me by
Scorned me, left me lost and hurt.
And no one had kindness enough
To take me out, call me their own.
The field was dark, and coarse and rough,
And so I languished all alone.
The day you passed me by you looked
Upon my bitter state and paused,
Had kindness when all else forsook
This torment my own past had caused.
You told me, "Live," and so I stood,
You washed me, cleansed me, I took root
And grew; you saw that it was good
Your rain having displaced my soot.
I grew in beauty, wealth and charm
Worthy then was I of love.
You took me, shielded me from harm
And raised me up to stand above
All others; clothed in embroidered dress
With leather sandals at my toes,
With gold and silver, nothing less,
And to take the crown I rose.
The splendor that was granted me
Took my beauty, made it pure,
And all who came and gazed at me
Were taken in by that one lure.
I trusted in my charms and jewels
And fancy dress and seductive smiles,
Till I won the hearts of common fools
And kings, and thus became defiled.
And all the splendor you bestowed
Was handed out to all who asked,
Who ventured down my well-marked road
And in their worship, how I basked.
I purposely forgot the one
Who lifted me when I was broken,
And pursued each lover until none
Had not received some gaudy token.
You bore my unfaithful heart so long,
And I fell deeply in troubled ways,
And hardly recognized my wrong,
Promiscuous for many days.
My sister Sodom should have been
A warning to stay faithful to
The one who raised me up back when
I had no one else at all-just you.
I understand now how I broke
The covenant you made with me
And how you called my name and spoke,
And told me twas how I'd be free.
I am ashamed, for you, my king,
Are sovereign, and I, abased,
Remember when I had no thing
And you came and found the place
Where I lay, and set me free,
And how did I repay you, Lord?
I let each kingdom capture me,
Till I was one to be abhorred.
But here you are; to my surprise
You take my head and lift it up
And gaze into my empty eyes
And then reach out to fill my cup.
And I see your hands, the holes they bear,
And the blood you shed for to atone;
You say my sins were never there,
That I don't deserve to be alone.
How could I not protest such pain
That you gladly suffered in my stead?
Now twice set free, twice washed in rain,
A queenly crown upon my head,
My idolatry, adultery, gone
As though I'd ne'er abandoned what I learned;
My past forgotten, past undone,
With nothing to offer in return.
postscript
... Unfaithful. Taken from Ezekiel 16, but actually softened a bit. This poem, though a bit harsh, is still a little easier to read than the chapter it's based on. One thing that makes that chapter hard to read is the knowledge that though it's an allegory, it still represents the sin and unfaithful acts we all commit, and then the faithful God who forgives us anyway. I'm not terribly proud of this poem, though I am pleased enough with the fact that I rewrote a section of scripture in poetry format, and I did it in alternating couplets, too. I wonder, does anyone think I ought to put a filter on it? I'd hate for it to be considered too harsh to post here, but if you think I should, let me know. This poem also vaguely inspired by the following words from a list Nerys sent me: Regret Deliver Deceit Destruction Resist Lush They got my juices flowing, see.