Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

June 16–22 ❘ Small Things

Poem and discussion centering on the small and simple things of the world that bring great things to pass, inspired by Doctrine and Covenants 64:33.

Small Things

When you were a child,
you drew close and held me still
with your small voice,
soft as a puppy nuzzling in
for caress and kiss.
You wanted to grow down,
you said, not up—
to be a baby again, always
swaddled and warm,
just this side of sleep.

Against your word, you grew
year by year, bit by bit,
sprouting gangly limbs
and facial fuzz, then whiskers
and just enough wisdom
to carry you away from me
on to bigger things.

But even from here I can see
it’s the little things in you
that catch light like the mother lode—
how you offer a word
and gift a smile to shift
someone’s heart,
someone’s whole world.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

June 9–15 ❘ It Mattereth Not

Poem and discussion centering on my belief that there are many ways to engage in the work of the gathering, inspired by Doctrine and Covenants 62:4–5.

It Mattereth Not

I could drive the back roads home,
a slow and winding route designed
to explore nooks and crannies
of a curious countryside,
and stop for chats at every fruit stand
or world’s largest ball of twine.

I could stand in long lines
at the airport, trading stories
with other passengers bumped
from flight to later flight,
then delve deep into theology
with my seatmate in 27E.

I could stay in this room
and zoom to your screen
as sudden as angelic annunciation
bearing news or soothing balm
of words spoken in due season.
There are a lot of ways

to get from here to there.
If it doesn’t matter to you,
it doesn’t matter to me.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

June 2–8 ❘ Anxiously Engaged

Poem and discussion centering on the Lord’s command that we use our agency to do many good things in this life, inspired by Doctrine and Covenants 58:27–28.

Anxiously Engaged

I’m not going to nag you
to practice the piano.
It’s your choice whether you stagger
over the keyboard or glide.

I shouldn’t have to command you
to hamper your dirty clothes
or order your personal chaos
to within stone’s throw of serenity.

You haven’t earned glory, laud,
or honor by loading the dishwasher,
the bare minimum shared burden
in this unit of Zion society,

but I will thank you for it anyway.
I’ll help you do your homework
and remind you to set your alarms.
I’ll laugh at your rough-draft stories

and applaud impromptu recitals.
I’ll attend every overlong, under-amped
performance you try your hand at.
I might nudge a bit when a neighbor needs

a half-load of topsoil shoveled
on the hottest day of the year,
but you will decide on your own
to make it a quorum service project.

You will be the one to notice a friend
who misses the school bus all week
and, without being told, stop by to visit
with donuts and a comic book.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

May 26–June 1 ❘ Q and A

Poem and discussion centering on the seeming ease with which Joseph Smith received revelation, inspired by Doctrine and Covenants 77:1–15.

Q and A

I sometimes wish I could be
like Joseph

and receive answers to my questions
poured straight from Heaven
into an overflowing cup,
then gorge on words of comfort
served up in large portions.

I am not a prophet
called to lay out God’s feast
and invite the starving world
to come and eat,

but little ones like me
can still be filled
with crumbs that rain
from the Master’s table.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

May 19–25 ❘ Brother Parley

Poem and discussion centering on Parley P. Pratt’s visit to the Shakers as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 49:1.

Brother Parley

Brash, fearless, heedless, like Peter of old,
shaker of coattails against Shakers,
runner from would-be jailers
and flummoxed bulldogs—

you say what I wish I had courage to say
if I weren’t always judging
the weight of bold testimony
against politeness and etiquette.

Perhaps you are the kind of preacher
who unleashes the good word
like a firehose on a house aflame.
Perhaps I am the kind who looses
feathered words and never knows
where they fly or how they land.

Neither of us has time to lollygag.
You roar me to repentance, and then
as guileless as a newborn lamb
invite me, if I’m so inclined,
to join you in a foot race.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

May 12–18 ❘ Gifts

Poem and discussion centering on what defines a gift of the Spirit as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 46:8–9.

Gifts

If all things are spiritual
to the Lord, then all gifts
are of the Spirit:

blood flowing through my veins
bears a flood of relief
when I break a fast;

heavy lilac heads wash me
in scent and wring out
memories of distant Aprils;

my scalp tingles at finger touch
when anointed as precursor
to warm, healing hands;

an early morning chickadee
outside my bedroom window
diligently pings my ear,

calling, calling, calling me
to recognize the Spirit’s blessing
in every sensation.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

May 5–11 ❘ Signs of the Times

Poem and discussion centering on the signs that will precede the Lord’s Second Coming as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 45:39–44.

Signs of the Times

Stars again are choosing to fall,
jumping from safe refuge of heaven
to wander in wilderness.

Sunny days grow cold,
hearts are veiled by vapor
and blind to light,

and even refugees to a holy city
feel their foundations rattle
by test of trembling quakes.

But we also see spring leaves
unfurl like little ensigns
to signal summer is nigh

and sweet fruit will soon
be ready for the gathering.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

April 28–May 4 ❘ Law of Consecration

Poem and discussion centering on the introduction of the Law of Consecration as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 42:32.

Law of Consecration

My last child before an emptied nest
is doing homework at the kitchen table.
He is without guile, easily frustrated,
unable to hide it. But he plows on:
reads history while listening to ragtime,
practices chords on piano and banjo,
bakes chocolate chip cookies after school
for a friend who needs a treat. We laugh
at old home movies he plotted and played out
with older brothers, then he goes down to bed alone.

I wonder at my loans coming due—the acres
of good ground I planted, the drops of soul
I wrung out to water them, all for others to reap.
This is my consecration to the poor
that cannot be taken back,
the child of my old age on the altar,
my Samuel sent to answer the Lord.

God calls me to wake and arise,
but I linger in warm dreams,
wanting just five minutes more.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

April 21–27 ❘ In Our Midst

Poem and discussion centering on the Lord’s presence with us even when we can’t see Him as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 38:7.

In Our Midst

His healing glistens in sweat
trickling down the neck
of one who weeds flowerbeds
for a neighbor who is ill.

His compassion leavens
the bread a friend delivers
after a woman’s third miscarriage
in as many years.

His voice rings out
from a young missionary
who struggles with a new language,
yet persists word by broken word.

Like light piercing darkness
that cannot comprehend it,
the Lord is in our midst,
but we cannot see Him

if we don’t consider
where to look.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

April 14–20 ❘ He Lives

Poem and discussion centering on the reality of Jesus Christ’s life as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 76:22–24.

He Lives

Jesus has felt his heart knock from within
after a long walk or a short sprint,
pulse thumping in bridge of nose
as ache spreads across forehead
from tense jaw and tired eyes.

He’s pressed fingertips
to sun-warmed surface of clay brick,
imprinting the rough,
uneven texture into memory,
a temporal anchor for the future.

He’s drunk down blue sky
on a hot, thirsty day
like well water from a pump
that gushes cold and cleansing
without constraint.

He’s thrown back a sudden laugh
while sitting at table with friends,
then spoken a few well-chosen words
to flood the room with unexpected
quiet. He’s lived

and felt and loved
all the things I also live for.

He still does.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

April 7–13 ❘ Filled

Poem and discussion centering on the Lord’s promise that if we open our mouths to share the gospel, they will be filled with the right words to say as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 33:8–10.

Filled

My son calls home
with questions.
I see the tears, hear the twist
in his tightened throat.

He is like Joseph in the grove,
tongue bound and seized by fear,
desperate for rescue
from gathering shadow.

He is like Nephi in the desert,
crafting a bow and one arrow
but still worried the Lord
won’t guide its flight.

I sit with him in his wilderness,
share the weight of his desolation.
I open my mouth and wait
for words of light.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

March 31–April 6 ❘ Temporal Law

Poem and discussion centering on the interconnectedness of spiritual and temporal things as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 29:34–35.

Temporal Law

My skin stings at icy spray
when traffic passes too closely
on cold winter mornings,
and I feel irritated.

My heart charges,
face flushes hot with blood
at a curled lip or barbed reply,
and I feel angry.

I feel fear or joy
at the smell of a child’s sweat,
whether during midnight fever
or daylight romp at the park.

Body and spirit fuse
like crayons melted together
under the sun, a whirl
of inextricable colors.

I fast to master restraint.
I eat to experience bitter.
I repent to understand
what is sweet.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

March 24–30 ❘ Whole Armor

Poem and discussion centering on God’s command to us to put on his whole armor as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 27:15–18.

Whole Armor

         Suit up!
comes the call. Everywhere bodies
shift and clank, strapping hardware
to limbs and torsos. My hands reach
for what I know isn’t there:
no helmet, breastplate, or sword—

only one solid strap, a belt to gird myself.
Truth can hold the center,
but with no armor or shield,
a heart is an open target for doubt.
I gasp, suck in, and cinch tighter.

Sensing distress,
the Captain draws near
and pours out words of comfort:
         Lean in close—I’ll cover you.
         We’ll pick up all you lack
         along the way.

Caught up, I am ready
to pursue with Him
any destination.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

March 17–23 ❘ Song of the Heart

Poem and discussion centering on God’s promise that when righteous people sing to Him, He will count it as a prayer as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 25:12.

Song of the Heart

Sometimes it’s a concert performed
by poised and practiced choir,
professionals who form
each consonant with clarity
and vowels with buoyant support
to float toward God’s open ear.

Other times, it’s a five-year-old child
lying late in bed on Saturday morning.
Sun filters through curtains as she spins
impromptu tunes from stories in her head.
Father peeks around the door and smiles,
offering a penny for her thoughts.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

March 10–16 ❘ Thou Shalt Forgive All

Poem and discussion centering on God’s command to us to forgive everyone as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 64:10–11.

Thou Shalt Forgive All

It seems unfair to hold me
to this standard: You forgive
whom you will, but I must let go
of everything. You call me like Peter

to walk on shifting water
when you know my little faith
isn’t net enough to catch me.
I must sink and drown

unless you pull me up, frame me
with a set of training wheels to hold
my judgment upright as I learn
to love your fallen children—

unless you offer palliative,
analgesic balm, daily reminder
not to scratch at scabs
that must be left alone to heal—

unless you clear away these chits
and IOUs I’ve heaped up like a miser
to make room in my broken heart
for what I ought to feel.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

March 3–9 ❘ Endless

Poem and discussion centering on God’s explanation that Endless and Eternal can be understood as names for Him as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 19:6–12.

Endless

God is in the past where hordes ripple
like a sea of candles lit and snuffed
in waves. They stumble on the same stones:
battles waged, money worshipped,
passions fed that then fade as old age
weighs in. Over millennia, generations
run together like wax. There is nothing
new under the sun.

God is in the future where humankind pursues
safety, satiation, a less confusing world.
They hope to glimpse it gleaming down
the path and so place careful planks
as bridge toward paradise,
but tribulation’s shifting sands
sweep all off course. There is nothing
so stable as change.

God is in the present where I sit
with mortality clinging to me like heavy,
wet clothes. He feels the constant ache
in my left foot, the torment of cricks and pops
that follow me up the stairs. He stays with me late
into the night as I complain of unresolved conflicts
and unmet needs. There is nothing
in the desert, and no man needs

nothing. Most things don’t last forever,
but many are made eternal
by God’s presence in them.
Everywhere and when,
     even now,
He holds a space open for me
to enter and rest.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

February 24–March 2 ❘ To a Sign Seeker

Poem and discussion centering on the teaching that those who wish to be faithful followers of the Lord should not seek for signs as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 63:7–12.

To a Sign Seeker

How can I prove to you
where you’ll end after a lifetime
of pursuing the Lord?

No message written by angel finger
on temple wall, no panoramic vision
of as yet undecided future
can map all you’ll learn

from decades of travel.
I could sooner trace the path
of a sand grain from ocean floor

to desert mesa to wind-eroded valley dune.
You’ll never know until you choose
who to love, who to believe,
who to consult for maps and translations—

maybe an adventurer who’s found north
by knowing the side of trees that moss grows on.
Maybe a pilgrim who’s been where you want to go.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

February 17–23 ❘ A View of the Plates

Poem and discussion centering on a promise given to Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and David Whitmer that they could view the engraved plates that contained the Book of Mormon as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 17:1.

A View of the Plates

What wouldn’t I give
to see a solid gold miracle—
something substantial
to mold the unshaped clay
of unsettled testimony.

What couldn’t I do
for a peek at sacred mementos
that moved populations and parted seas—
especially if God left an invitation
right there in plain scripture.

What shouldn’t I know
that I'm kept from temptation’s reach—
no chance for Satan to bait a trap
with temporal knowledge or steel
my malleable soul with pride.

Whatever the reason
I lack this first-hand access—
I hold my paper copy close,
looking for messages and marvels
behind each translated line.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

February 10–16 ❘ Brother of the Prophet

Poem and discussion centering on a revelation from the Lord delivered to Hyrum Smith through his brother Joseph as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 11:23–30.

Brother of the Prophet

My youngest says he doesn’t know
if he could believe a brother
who claimed to have seen visions—
and knowing my children, I understand,

not because they aren’t good
and honest boys, but because a mother
has a hard time hearkening to someone
whose knees she’s patched

and sheets she’s laundered. A prophet
has no honor in his own living room.
Think of Jesus’s family, standing outside
the crowd, convinced he’d lost his mind,

wondering what to do with him.
So different from Hyrum—ready
to harvest immediately with bare hands
if only Joseph would direct where to reap.

When I read the verse where the same
who was rejected by His own
introduces Himself to Hyrum,
I sense a sidelong glance at Joseph

as the Lord wills him to treasure this rare gift
from one who knows by experience
what a suffering servant
really needs.

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Merrijane Rice Merrijane Rice

February 3–9 ❘ Spirit of Revelation

Poem and discussion centering on how the Spirit of Revelation works as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 8:2–3.

Spirit of Revelation

Dreaming, I churn
down blind alleys, dead ends,
roundabouts without exit
or place of rest.

Waking, I hesitate
at the edge of a vast reed sea,
another muddy place
where I could spin and sink.

Thinking, I study
where to place each footfall,
looking deeply into undergrowth
to tell solid earth from fen.

Feeling, I discern
between mists that warn of mire
and flickers that draw me on
toward hidden steppingstones.

Moving, I will
reach the other side—eventually.
This is how revelation parts the deep
and dry ground rises to catch me

as I cross the waters
one step at a time.

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