Two poems. "Lament" by Zbigniew Herbert and "Visitation" by Robert Roberts

I happened to get out my Poetry folder - not poems written by me, but poems i have found down the years and wanted to keep.  And I thought how these two poems, both of which I love, connect.


LAMENT
To the memory of my mother
by Zbigniew Herbert

And now she has over her head brown clouds of roots
a slim lily of salt on the temples beads of sand
while she sails on the bottom of a boat through foaming nebulas

a mile beyond us where the river turns
visible-invisible as the light on a wave
truly she isn't different - abandoned like all of us.


So beautiful and sad it makes me want to cry.   But how I would have wanted to assure the poet that we are not abandoned.


Which leads me to the second poem.


VISITATION
by Robert Roberts

We walked out in high winds today
Through Harpford Woods, March daffodils
All knocked about and trees asway
Like masts at sea and stormswept hills.

Like ocean rollers all around
And underfoot the March-dry road
All iron ruts and underground
Or overhead a jealous god.

Out of an old old covenant
The awe and anger now no more
Troublesome than a gale's half-spent
And out of date bad-tempered roar.

Outside our house we found a man
Black briefcase, grey suit, well brushed hair.
He smiled. He was no other than
Jehovah's Witness waiting there.


We are not abandoned.  In every country, in every island group, Jehovah sends his Witnesses to tell people the good news of the incoming Kingdom of God.  He is not an angry God, he is a caring God, who is love. And he wants every one of us to have "the glorious freedom of the children of God" in the restored earthly Paradise.

But it is up to each one of us. He will not force anyone.  Jehovah respects the free will he gave us.

I was just doing my Workbook study for tomorrow and thought I would like to add this extract from our current Watchtower magazine:
Though Jehovah is the Supreme One, he invites us to approach him in prayer and assures us that he listens to us. (Psalm 65:2) God loves and cares for us so much that the apostle John could truthfully write: “God is love.”—1 John 4:8.

https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/watchtower-no6-2016-november/visions-of-heaven/


And I hope so much that Zbigniew Herbert and his mother will meet in the resurrection - waking on an earth truly at peace, an earth ruled by the law of loving-kindness. I hope both poets will be there. I hope we all will be.

Jean and I visit Maggie this afternoon, and I am taking her over a fan, as she said she would like one like mine. Captain Butterfly had kindly ordered me 3 via the internet, so no problem.