Love Poems to God

Audio, Megan Willome, Poetry Prompt | 0 comments

“My feet are tired, Lord … So much of life is toil. How often do we stop and hear the music?” Megan Willome

​ LOVE POEMS TO GOD

 

Catherine of Sienna, a nun who lived in Italy in the 14th century, was a mystic who had visions; she was a diplomat when the Catholic church was undergoing a great schism; she was a servant of the sick and poor which led to her be deemed the patron saint of nurses; and she was a poet.

Many of her poems are love poems to God, very Song-of-Solomon-like. Here is one of them, translated by David Ledinsky.

 

I Won’t Take No For An Answer

 

Catherine of Sienna

“I won’t take no for an answer,”
God began to say
to me 

when He opened His arms each night
wanting us to
dance.

 

What is your view of God? Heavenly Father? Savior and Lord? Perhaps Friend. I know I don’t often think of Him as the one who opens His arms to me and invites me to dance.

So much of life is toil. How often do we stop and hear the music? Even if our feet can’t tap out the rhythm, we can sit beside the dancers and take delight in their prayers of movement. We can sit hand-in-hand with Jesus, who won’t take no for an answer

 

Wallflower at the Dance

 

my feet are tired, Lord

my knees, so sore

my hips, they ache

can’t take no more

 

what’s that? sit here with

You? alright I’ll set.

just watch? well that

I can do I guess.

 

Lord! is that Your hand

come into mine? well, Sir,

I won’t decline. let’s rest

us two this night Divine.

 

LOVE POEMS TO GOD – IT’S YOUR TURN

 

Write a love poem between yourself and God. Think of a moment or a memory shared with the person you love and reimagine it — or create something wholly new.

Even when you don’t feel like writing a poem, you can always journal about one. All you need is a pencil and paper (or a computer, if you prefer to be able to read your own writing). Take some time now to journal about the poem by Catherine of Sienna.

  • Read the poem.
  • Jot down what you notice, what you like, what you don’t like, what questions you have, and at least one way in which the poem speaks to your soul.
  • Read the poem again, aloud (if you didn’t the first time). Is there anything you notice this time that you want to add to your journal?

Yellow Bubbles
Megan Willome

Megan Willome

Contributing Writer

Megan is the author of  Love and other Mysteries (Wipf and Stock), a new poetry collection. She's also written The Joy of Poetry, a memoir, and Rainbow Crow, a picture book of form poems. Her day is incomplete without poetry, tea, and a walk in the dark. Read her work at meganwillome.substack.com.

 

 

50 Prayer Journaling Prompts

Choose a quiet moment, open your journal, and begin with whatever thoughts are on your heart.

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