Elizabeth's Song

poem for Holy Week

Visitation by Mariotto Albertinelli (Florence 1474 – 1515)

I watched her grow and treasured
Mary’s questions, yearnings, dreams,
starting to sense a secret
thrummed in wait as yet unseen.
One morning I wake to mystery
lingering with dew in the air, 
and holy wonder in my thoughts
whispers Adonai is here.

Zechariah bursts through our door
and grabs me with a voiceless plea.
I clasp his shaking shoulders. 
Revelation cloaks him silently.
Hands flutter like two birds
before resting on my waist;
eyes shining through deep pools proclaim
our dreams are not too late.

Like Sarah who received report
of life sprung through her aging frame,
my soul splits ripe with laughter.
 Grace deems “John” our baby’s name.
Fervent prayers for emerging seed 
stretch toward my cousin’s soul
as flag of prophesy unfurls
and flutters of her coming role.

With glad cry of welcome
I meet Mary at my door,
but the thrill of recognition 
kicks deeper within my core.
Fire dancing in our eyes
crackles and bursts into bloom;
I behold the promise, sacred one
nestled earthbound in her womb.

Together we’re gifted a foretaste,
sharp glory and anguish await.
Dusty paths and desert prophecies
will lead them to their fate.
Embracing the vision of God,
we surrender all to divine choice
and in the wild territory of blessing
our unborn sons rejoice.

(first published in Essentia Magazine 2009)

Remembering Elizabeth and Mary’s joyful discovery of one another’s pregnancies is not typically the way I begin Holy Week, but I had a vivid dream about posting this poem. It is so rare that I remember a dream with clarity when fully awake. Since I hadn’t thought of this poem in years, I had to go find it, read it, and post it. Now I am curious what other dreams I will have this week and what other poems I might be posting.

I wrote this poem when I was very pregnant with our second son and thinking a lot about the physical demands of pregnancy in all its stages. I was imagining the joy with which Elizabeth experienced it all, how her gratitude probably overshadowed any of the inconvenience, interruption, or even downright illness of pregnancy. I imagined Mary and Elizabeth and the friendship they must have enjoyed through the years, since we see in Scripture that Elizabeth was who Mary turned to as she grappled with all that she was entrusted. Writing a poem about a familiar passage of Scripture allows you to inhabit the scene in a new way, to experience the humanness of the characters (who can seem like mythological characters we paint with broad strokes). Then when you hear a sermon or a song about that passage, it feels like someone is talking to you about an old friend.

I encourage you this Holy Week to sit with a familiar passage of Scripture and write a poem in response. Whether you think of yourself as a writer or a reader or someone who loves the Bible, by writing a poem, you have the opportunity to meditate on truth in a way that lets it seep down into the fabric of your being. If you have only written poetry as an academic exercise, this might be a new experience. It’s not about trying to be original. Let go of any pressure to be brilliant or impressive. Instead, view the act of writing as a means of contemplation. It becomes a window for you to experience a familiar passage in a new light. We want our beliefs to permeate our thoughts and feelings and actions. We want to be changed by beholding truth. Reading and writing poetry allows you to slow down and gaze at the face of the one who knows you and loves you best. I would love to hear any poems that you read or write this week as we prepare our hearts to rejoice anew in our Risen Lord.