The Paradoxical Nature of Human Beings

I have been reading a classic by Georgia Harkness called PRAYER AND THE COMMON LIFE. In the first chapter, she presents some foundations for prayer that include definitions of prayer, of the Christian view of humans, and of the Christian view of God. Of her several definitions of prayer, I particularly resonated with the phrase "opening of the soul" to God, because it presupposes the existence of a God who cares and the possibility of relationship with God. She points to Buber's "I-Thou" and Brunner's "divine-human encounter" as ways of thinking about a relationship with God in prayer.

The most intriguing thought in the first chapter, however, was her presentation of the Christian view of human nature as five paradoxes. Humans are nature and spirit, free and bound, sinner and created in the divine image, individual and a member of society, and made for this world and for another. A statement that is a paradox seems contradictory. If one part is true, how can the contradiction be true? Yet, the sense of a paradox is that it may well point to a larger truth that embraces the contradictions. In these five statements, we have "both-and" rather than "either-or" descriptions. I like the potential for human wholeness in her views.

Poem-in-Progress

If a person wants to be a poet, he or she needs to sit down and make poems. A no-brainer, right? Well, I recognized this foundational truth for the millionth time a couple of weeks ago. Once again I am taking time everyday, even if only half an hour, to read, write, and edit poems. Making a poem requires more than inspiration. The craft requires persistent attention, and more often than not, revision and editing. In my case, the poem that lands in my binder is not exactly the same as it was when it started. Anyhow, I offer this poem-in-progress about the juxtapositions of daily life, history, nature, and world events.

Here it is in its most recent manifestation:

Taking Note

Wind blasts potted plants from the porch,
knocks soil from their pots and tangled roots.
I push the plants back into their pots,
clean the spilled soil, take note
of purple clouds above the hackberry trees,
the gray cat sleeping in the side window.
CNN Headline News offers notes
about the campaign for president, the latest killing
in Iraq, abductions, trials, investigations.
I wonder what taking note means.
Francis of Assisi stands in a flower bed.
Hydrangea and daylilies nod and lean
in rising wind. A storm blows in.
I move the potted plants against the wall.

Here is an early version:

Note Taking

Wind blasts potted plants from the porch,
knocks soil out from their roots
I push the plants back into their pots
clean the spilled soil and wonder whether
events and images have an order of being
or whether life is simply note taking.
I note the purple clouds above the trees,
for instance, and the white cat purring at my side
and the gray one gazing out the side window.
The CNN Headline News offers notes
about the campaign for president, the latest killings
in Iraq, abductions, trials, investigations,
and hundreds of other noteworthy events
begging national and international attention.
St. Francis of Assisi stands in the flower beds
in a neighbor’s yard. Hydrangea blossoms droop.
Orange daylilies nod in rising wind.
A summer storm blows in.
I move the potted plants
against the wall.