September 14–20 ❘ Isaiah
Poem and discussion centering on the prophet Isaiah, inspired by Isaiah 6:5–7.
Isaiah
He was a poet who wove nets
to cast and catch an ocean.
I also crave that glowing coal
to touch my lips, my stuttering tongue
and burn me clean to speak,
but I am less instrument
than implement in God’s hand—
blunt ax for rough kindling
or simple plow to delve earth
where others sow and reap.
I write furrow after furrow
of the same vision, a hundred
different stumbling ways.
Isaiah would explain
that near-term fate is too fixed
for God’s purposes. He needs time
to knead the poems and let them rise,
till what yesterday was one small loaf
grows to feed five thousand.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
Contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com
September 7–13 ❘ Mother Wisdom
Poem and discussion centering on the scriptural personification of Wisdom as a woman, inspired by Proverbs 8, 30, 31.
Mother Wisdom
She does not envy
nor seek enviers on her behalf,
but presses light fingers against lips
to cool heated words, soothe ill will,
and hush rash eruptions of argument.
She doesn’t crave approval
or seek to meet terrestrial expectations,
but teaches by example
the mystery of silence
and the peace of simply being.
She doesn’t need protection
from the foolish by the foolish,
but instead defends us all
from ignorance by exposing
its empty depths.
With the Lord, She
bound heaven’s ocean
in a garment of gauzy cloud,
strewed skies with colored stars,
gathered all breaths of life into one,
then blew us free to far corners
of earth’s broad foundations.
God trusts Wisdom
to clothe His household in knowledge
and to discern whether children
still need milk and honey
or are ready for manna in the desert.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
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Aug. 31–Sep. 6 ❘ Song of Ascents
Poem and discussion centering on the psalms that were written as Songs of Ascents, inspired by Psalms 120–134.
Song of Ascents
Let us rise in the morning
in the name of the Lord,
pursue His work early and late.
Let us lift up our voices
in praise to the Lord,
set psalms of gratitude soaring.
Let us look to the skies
full of light from the Lord,
follow the mountain paths home.
Let us aim for the heavens
with prayers to the Lord
shot like arrows to pierce the veil.
Let us rise by degrees
to the house of the Lord,
take His hand and enter with joy.
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Contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com
August 24–30 ❘ Joyful Noise
Poem and discussion centering on sounds of celebration and worship, inspired by Psalm 98 and 1 Corinthians 14:15.
Joyful Noise
Clap your hands
like rushing floods,
and fluttering trees—
march, stomp, tap, clatter,
shake, clink, rattle,
shatter, thump,
drum
Shout unto God
like brass trumpets
and crashing armies—
whoop, thunder, roar, bark,
blow, laugh, buzz,
rumble, purr,
hum
Sing for the Lord
like bell-toned harps,
and sweet-tongued birds—
sigh, swish, sweep, twitter,
tingle, saw, chatter,
chant, comfort,
croon
Rejoice in sound
and silence, with spirit
and with understanding also—
receive God’s new song
and celebrate salvation
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August 17–23 ❘ Psalm
Poem and discussion centering on how sacred songs tie us to the past while supporting us now, inspired by Psalm 22.
Psalm
A dissonant tune twinned
to plaintive words can live
and spread like aspen roots,
binding together generations.
David bargains, begs
forgiveness, praises the Lord
across centuries.
Jesus hears, learns by heart,
replies from crux of history,
and far downstream,
I catch faint, sacred strains
from their ancient duet.
I listen, rehearse my part,
and lift up my voice
to join the song.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
Contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com
August 10–16 ❘ Hedges
Poem and discussion centering on how Job’s story teaches us where our priorities should lie, inspired by Job 1:10 and 3:23.
Hedges
Past performance is no guarantee
of future results.
Follow the plan, work hard,
gain assets, rack up numbers—
ten children, seven thousand sheep,
three thousand camels, one
thousand oxen, five hundred donkeys—
you’re still going lose everything
in the end.
Like Job’s household
or Prospero’s masque, everything—
possessions, family, health, even memories—
will dissolve like smoke
threading heavenward
but we are not dreams, and life
is circumscribed by more than sleep.
We are children learning
within guidelines, testing limits—
sometimes tested ourselves
when we fall just a little
outside the garden bounds.
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August 3–9 ❘ Such a Time
Poem and discussion centering on the story of Queen Esther, inspired by Esther 1–3.
Such a Time
Men are usually troublesome,
but Ahasuerus was a natural disaster
who struck without warning.
No one stops a landslide in motion,
as Vashti discovered when crushed
beneath the king’s displeasure.
Then there was Mordecai,
pushing his young cousin forward
in a dangerous beauty contest.
He instructed her to step lightly,
hide her heritage for safety—
then himself refused to bow to Haman.
Would it have killed him
to take a cue from Esther for once?
Once again, the Lord turned
to a faithful woman in the mold
of Eve, Rebekah, Ruth—
even desperate Tamar in her way—
to trick a man into doing
what he should have done all along,
in such a time as this
like every other time
in every other place
since the beginning.
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July 27–August 2 ❘ Restoration
Poem and discussion centering on the reinstitution of regular sacrifices and laying of foundations in preparation to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, inspired by Ezra 3:10–13.
Restoration
What the Lord reveals,
every new generation buries
beneath fresh layers of forgetting.
We raise walls of estrangement
between the urgency of now
and long-suffering history,
till the very elect are deceived,
our gray-granite temples
knocked stone from stone in a day,
outward desecration reflecting
the inward.
But was God never with us?
Israel knows that to be chosen
is to be chastened again
and again, to be stripped
of everything in preparation
for eternity.
We weep for what was lost
between shouts and songs
of praise for new foundations laid
because joy and sorrow are inseparable
as trough and crest of God’s surging,
white-capped wave.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
Contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com
July 20–26 ❘ Book of the Law
Poem and discussion centering on King Josiah cleansing and repairing the house of the Lord, inspired by 2 Chronicles 34.
Book of the Law
As I cleanse my temple of idols
collected and displayed
like dusty knickknacks
on the surfaces of my soul,
I find a long-forgotten book
calling me to higher vantage
to view eternal landscapes.
I ask questions of a Spirit-guide
to elucidate a stream here,
a fruited tree there,
a large and spacious field,
till all creation is scripture to me.
Earth becomes seer stone
for interpreting still, small voices
that trickle from mountain springs
and whistle down desert valleys.
I trace etymologies of cricket-speak
and birdsong to their roots, and one day
I’ll be fluent in angel-tongue,
learn to spell words that can’t be written.
Till then, I read
and bit by bit crush false gods
to powder, strewing them
on the wind.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
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July 13–19 ❘ Beer-sheba
Poem and discussion centering on Abraham dealing honorably with his neighbor Abimelech, inspired by Genesis 21:32–34.
Beer-sheba
Abraham plants a tamarisk grove
by his well of covenant. He plants
himself, too—as much as he can,
being a stranger in a strange land.
He stays to spread roots
through soil toward water rising
from earth’s deep cistern—
enough time for trees to grow
high and thick for shade
and for fruit to mature and seed.
He likes the desert air here,
the way the smell of saltcedar carries
on the evening breeze as it teases
feathery sprays of purple bloom.
He likes how it feels to have neighbors
with whom one can come to agreement.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
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July 6–12 ❘ Some Great Thing
Poem and discussion centering on not seeking for great signs to sustain faith, inspired by 2 Kings 5:13.
Some Great Thing
I don’t need to suffer importantly
like a tragic figure carved in marble
inspiring quiet reflection
and respectful emulation.
I don’t need a desert prophet
to work miracles fit for scripture
or preach sermons generations hence
that hold me up as one with faith
like a planted, propagated mustard seed.
I’d welcome a simple solution,
single cleansing river wash
without formality or fanfare.
But I will endure till God decrees
endurance is done,
till the Firstborn redeems
with a double-portion breathed
from His mouth to my mouth,
His eye’s vision laid bare to mine,
His healing hand laid upon me
with gift of daily resurrection in His image.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
Contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com
June 29–July 5 ❘ Not in the Wind
Poem and discussion centering on the still, small voice of the Lord, inspired by 1 Kings 19:11–12.
Not in the Wind
A tempest tore my quietude apart.
In fear, I begged Jehovah to rescind
the cyclone breaking up my stony heart,
but God did not reside within the wind.
A tremor shocked my soul with sore regret.
My joints and sinews trembled in its wake.
I sought divine intent behind the threat,
but could not find my Father in the quake.
A conflagration licked up all the green
that grew in me, consumed by blazing shame.
Yet, though His Spirit often burnt me clean,
my Savior didn’t rage within this flame.
I waited on the Lord, shut out the din,
then felt His still, small voice well up within.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
Contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com
June 22–28 ❘ David’s Regret
Poem and discussion centering on the story of David and Bathsheba, inspired by 2 Samuel 11.
David’s Regret
For about a month,
it was like nothing had happened.
I felt ashamed of myself—
so easily overthrown by desire,
like a common soldier on leave
after months at war—
but I knew the servants wouldn’t talk.
They seldom acknowledge
what they aren’t forced to see.
Then came Bathsheba’s message,
silent accusation under simple words.
Whether I confessed or kept quiet,
I had sentenced her to death
as surely as if I had thrown
the first and last stones myself.
When I used to live as an outlaw,
I ate showbread that wasn’t mine
and called soldiers to shield me
by betraying their king.
God had always been merciful,
but His path was arduous and long.
In wilderness, one never knows
how or when deliverance is nigh.
This once, I thought, I would work
salvation for myself—
but Uriah would not cooperate,
and so I sacrificed him for my sins.
I had not much longer to learn
that Messiah would come,
not as warrior to elevate me
over outside plotters and enemies,
but to save me from myself.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
Contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com
June 15–21 ❘ Transgressions
Poem and discussion centering on Heavenly Father’s plan for our progress, inspired by Genesis 3:6, 12:18–19, and 27:6–8.
Transgressions
We have children
and when they are little,
we set them tasks
to help them grow:
make your bed,
do your homework,
be kind to your friends,
do not lie.
Beds get made askew.
Homework is filled with errors.
Friends are treated to raw whim.
Lies are told and tied tight,
then regretted and unpicked.
We don’t ask for flawlessness.
Children learn life by trial
within boundaries:
so Eve eats the fruit
and Abraham lies to Pharaoh
and Rebekah tricks Isaac
and we find ourselves
crying on the back pew
as we consume our covenants.
Father sets bounds and tasks,
then lets us choose a path
to make them happen
one way or another.
Like sine waves testing crest
and trough, we move forward
to completion. No time to worry
who will read our stories
down the road and judge us
imperfect.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
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June 8–14 ❘ Choosing a King
Poem and discussion centering on the Israelites’ desire for a king, inspired by 1 Samuel 8.
Choosing a King
Samuel didn’t accurately state
our case for history,
why we begged him to heed
the people’s voice, to give us
the rights of other nations.
He listed monarchy’s ills—
children taken for soldiers and slaves,
lands confiscated for cronies,
wealth taxed to prop up the privileged—
but he failed to note
that all earthly leaders are corrupt.
His sons were no better than Eli’s.
We—God’s chosen people—
were always surrounded,
always on defense,
always made to prove our faith
again and again on the brink
of destruction.
What we really wanted
in this world of constant warfare
was a rallying point for our anger,
an avatar to fight our battles
with bravado and flair.
We were tired of waiting on a Lord
who gave us a promised land
infested with vipers
we could neither conquer nor join,
His wrath levied more often
on us than our enemies.
So, since we had agency,
we embraced a new path,
all the consequences examined
and carefully packed away.
You think you would have acted
differently in our position. But
one day you’ll tell your own stories
to judges as yet unborn
about how you always had good reasons
for doing the wrong thing.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
Contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com
June 1–7 ❘ Eli the High Priest
Poem and discussion centering on Eli the High Priest, inspired by 1 Samuel 2:12-17.
Eli the High Priest
My life didn’t turn out as planned.
I expected obedient children
who loved the Lord. Indeed,
why shouldn’t I have them?
Does God not decide who is born
to whom, and am I not His servant?
Sons and daughters of Belial litter
the earth. Surely two such
would not be assigned to one day
attend His holy sanctuary.
I taught them from birth
their special status—set apart
from others with an inheritance
greater than lands and herds,
holier than fine houses filled
with common wealth.
I showed how to wash and pray,
guided in every sacrifice,
made them practice each ritual
until habit honed movement
to smooth rhythm of familiar grace.
I mistook pride for piety,
didn’t discern stolen license
in their eyes and smiles till,
it seemed to me, too late.
How often well-intended plans
go awry. How often
God’s miracles escape
the nets we set to catch them.
See Jeff Strong interview here
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
Contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com
May 25–31 ❘ Two Boats
Poem and discussion centering on Noah’s ark and Jaredite barges, inspired by Genesis 6–7.
Two Boats
One of gopherwood—
a cruise-ship-sized floating farm
lit by glowing tzohar—
cradled the sole, bone-weary family
left of Adam’s lonely line
through relentless days
and nights and days of flood.
Another—one barge of eight
sealed and pitched dish-tight
with molten Gazelem stones
in each peaked end—
sheltered a branch of kin
clipped from a tangled tree
through wind and watery deep.
Both boats were built
plank by plank with God’s help
to be temples of life-saving covenant
and inner light.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
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May 18–24 ❘ Choose Ye This Day
Poem and discussion centering on the difficulty of exercising agency well, inspired by Joshua 24:15.
Choose Ye This Day
There’s paradox
in having abundant options,
a riotous tangle of freedom.
Every tender branch springs
green with possibility.
Which do I clip to let light in
and give room for new growth?
It’s like thumping heavy,
hollow-sounding melons
and not knowing which one echoes
most believably with sweetness,
or standing before Frost’s
two equal, divergent, leaf-
lined roads, unable to decide
which wins my commitment,
or writing without an editor
to prune overgrown metaphor,
reading without a seer stone
to focus inspiration, trying
to choose God with no one
to remind me why.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
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May 11–17 ❘ View from Nebo
Poem and discussion centering on feeling stuck and unable to progress, inspired by Deuteronomy 34:1–6.
View from Nebo
From Pisgah’s peak, I see
bleak desert stretched behind me,
dotted with hidden springs
of miracle, each a stepping stone
across a valley of shadow and sacrifice.
Before lies a sweeping vision
of green land flowing with cream
and sweetness, crackling with fat
of roasted meat and browned crusts
of fresh-baked bread. I see peace
and rest and fullness ahead
but I cannot find my way forward.
Have I wandered in wilderness
so long only to fall short?
Have I made some ancient error
for which I must ever bear
unintended consequence?
Perhaps I am not always guilty
when the Lord withholds
what I want. He calls to me,
invites if I’m willing to exchange
my promised land for His own.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
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May 4–10 ❘ Leprosy
Poem and discussion centering on repentance and purity, inspired by Numbers 12.
Leprosy
Like Miriam, you have followed
one wayward thought to another,
then wrong act to act,
till you are riddled through,
buried in a blizzard beyond
your ability to escape.
Like Aaron, I am a foolish guide
called to guard you safely home
but was blind to your straying
till too late. Now, I beseech mercy
at the seat of Him who holds
all power to heal.
What takes time to lose,
takes time to find.
I will not move camp even after
seven times seventy days.
I will wait at desert’s edge
till God brings you in again
clean.
Read more of my poetry at www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry
Contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com