On Finishing "Paterson"

William Carlos Williams wrote a long poem called "Paterson" that was released in five books from 1946 to 1958. He was working on a sixth book when he died. The topic of "Paterson" is both Paterson, New Jersey, and the persona of a doctor by the same name. It is the town and the doctor. It took six weeks to read the poem, and I feel a major sense of accomplishment! I usually read or write in the morning before I go to work, and there were days when I just wanted to take the book back to the library! But I persisted. And I am glad. I have a renewed sense of William's commitment and investment in the work. I came away with the sense that he was very much ahead of his time. His work felt very contemporary in a post-modern way. I especially enjoyed the juxtaposition of news items, letters, and Williams' acute awareness of both image and music: his poetic consciousness. As for finishing "Paterson," I don't really think I am finished with it. Poems have a way of hanging around and calling out for renewed visits.

"Goin' to the Bookstore and We're...Gonna Get Ma-a-ar-ied..." :-)

On Saturday, June 7, I trekked three blocks away from the Missouri Annual Conference to a bookstore in Springfield called Well Fed Head Books. Why? To find a good book? No. I went there to officiate over the marriage ceremony for my son, Joe, and his fiancee, Paula. I particularly enjoyed the wedding music. Paula strolled down the aisle to a Joe Satriani guitar piece, and she and Joe strolled out to a song called "Geeks in Love." Paula's teen-aged son Mitchell was Joe's best man, and her eight-year-old son Duncan presented her for holy vows. It was a wonderful wedding, and I cherish being both MOG (mother of the groom) and pastor for the event. And, yes, I did buy a couple of good books after the wedding.

Communion as a Poem

I had the pleasure and honor of officiating over Holy Communion at church today. Our pastor is on vacation, and she invited me to be the celebrant. Since my everyday ministry is editing, I was excited to return to the pulpit, to wear my robe and stole, and to be a part of the worship leadership at my church.

Participating in Holy Communion is like stepping inside a poem for me. Bread, wine, spoken words, remembering. Whatever we call it - Lord's Supper, Eucharist, Holy Communion - it engages multiple levels of awareness through thought, feeling, and experience, through taste and texture, through the presence of others who share the holy meal. Jesus, the Master-Poet, was a genius. He took a tradition already rich with meaning for the disciples and helped them see the meaning in new ways. Passover. Freedom. Salvation. Shaping a people. Bread. Body. Wine. Blood. Sacrifice. Lamb. The textures of meaning tumble out as they do in poems. Holy Communion and good poems point beyond themselves to something more. In Holy Communion the Something More is God's life in Jesus Christ.