Blog

Poetry Sundays: Who The Meek Are Not

 

 

Mary Karr, Sinners Welcome

Who The Meek Are Not

By Mary Karr

          Not the bristle-bearded Igors bent
under burlap sacks, not peasants knee-deep
          in the rice-paddy muck,
nor the serfs whose quarter-moon sickles
          make the wheat fall in waves
they don’t get to eat. My friend the Franciscan
          nun says we misread 
that word meek in the Bible verse that blesses them. 
          To understand the meek 
(she says) picture a great stallion at full gallop
          in a meadow, who—
at his master’s voice—seizes up to a stunned
          but instant halt. 
So with the strain of holding that great power
          in check, the muscles 
along the arched neck keep eddying,
          and only the velvet ears
prick forward, awaiting the next order. 

 

::

Among my favorite religious poems, Who the Meek Are Not, has stayed with me since I first read it. It is one a few jewels I pull from a treasure box of inspirational writing when I become confused or wonder if my particular variety of discipleship is worthy of God’s grace.

I understand this version of meekness, the ears pricked forward, the sudden awareness of a call, the subsequent redirection of energy. Meekness can be a quiet yet powerful force running through our veins. Mary Karr and her Franciscan nun gave me permission to be a strong, courageous, vocal woman who is a humble servant of Christ. My agency–the power to choose, and to have an effect on the world–is only as useful as my willingness to surrender that power to God, to seek his will. I pray for strength and meekness every day.

How do you feel about meekness? What does this poem say to you? 

3 COMMENTS

  1. These are gorgeous images; a poem I’ll want to come back to. I also love your commentary on it, Melody. Both give me much to think about. Thank you!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Click to subscribe for new post alerts.

Click to subscribe to our magazine, in circulation since 1974.

Related Posts

Idealistic, Pragmatic, and Cynical Feminists: Who Stays, Who Goes?

by Caroline After the recent feminist Mormon conference in Claremont (nicely summarized at ZD), Exponent blogger Jana reflected on the feminists who were able to stay...

belief and dissonance

(I wrote this post several years ago so the links are a bit dated, but I thought it would be good for discussion...

Raskolnikov, John B., and Jesus: Thoughts on a Life

A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life. - James Allen He who has...

Transformative Power of Birth: 2020 WHO Year of the Nurse and Midwife

Guest Post by Annie Kuntz Annie is originally from outside of Boston, Massachusetts and has been living in El Paso, Texas for 10 years.  Annie...
submit guest post
Submit a Guest Blog Post
Announcements
Announcements
subscribe to our magazine
Subscribe to Our Magazine
Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com