A Cascade of Books
Over at dVerse Laura has us thinking about cascades. In particular the cascade form. In this form the first stanza flows and cascades through the following stanzas, each line forming the final line for the following stanzas (so in our case ABCDE, xxxxA, xxxxB…). Laura challenged folk to write a cascade poem of six stanzas, each with five lines. As an extra challenge, she suggested we drew the first stanza from previous work. Go check out the other cascading poems here.
I’ve followed the extra challenge. My first three lines came from an old poem (actually written for a different dVerse prompt). The prompt for that verse was to find poetry in our bookshelves, in particular the titles of the books on our shelves. You can go see the original here. I have added two extra book titles to make the five lines (sorry, no picture this time).
Finally comes the poet
Speaking in stories
Following the Celtic way
Overhearing the Gospel
Doing time in the pulpit
First there came the Word
Then there came so many words
Noise drowning out sense
Prose seeking to prove itself
Finally comes the poet
The world is spoken anew
A call for us to renew
Simple, careful, clear
A breath of fresh life
Speaking in stories
Treading the thin space
Life as a pilgrim
Heart open to all
In thought and deed together
Following the Celtic way
In the study, in the street
In verse and tale
With ears wide open
Eavesdropping reality
Overhearing the Gospel
Looking to make out the Word
In the mouth of the Other
Reshaping this existence
And re-forming it in love
Doing time in the pulpit
The books mentioned:
Finally comes the poet – Walter Brueggemann
Speaking in stories – William R. White
Following the Celtic way – Ian Bradley
Overhearing the Gospel – Fred Craddock
Doing time in the pulpit – Eugene Lowry
Hope you enjoy, please feel free to comment.
~ by The Lonely Recluse on February 8, 2024.
Posted in Poetry
Tags: Doing time in the pulpit, dVerse, Eugene Lowry, finally comes the poet, following the Celtic way, Fred Craddock, Ian Bradley, Overhearing the Gospel, poem, Poetry, speaking in stories, story, the lonely recluse, theology, Walter Brueggemann, William White
8 Responses to “A Cascade of Books”
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The Lonely Recluse
The Lonely Recluse 
A great cascade poem … my favorite stanza “In the study, in the street In verse and tale With ears wide open Eavesdropping reality Overhearing the Gospel” … cheers!
I think that stanza is possibly the most me out of the whole poem. Glad you enjoyed it.
I enjoyed your cascade of books, especially the gushing of words in these lines:
‘First there came the Word
Then there came so many words
Noise drowning out sense
Prose seeking to prove itself’.
I really wanted to use the original poem as the base for this, but didn’t have a clue how to unfold it, until I thought “go with what the book says”. I hope that sort of captures Finally Comes The Poet in 24 words. Glad you enjoyed it.
I really felt drawn into a word of books… of being there browsing the spines wondering what is within.
I could (and have) write essays upon essays on how stories draw us into their world and change us. I won’t here, but I’m glad this poem could carry that draw.
I read and re-read this for enjoyment – such a compact cascade of words, a pilgrim path of faith through the books with that ultimate line that really stuck
“Doing time in the pulpit”
– and how brilliant was your use of those titles as opener.
Wow, that is high praise indeed, thank you. I was more than a bit concerned that this one would be a bit too much of a niche topic.
Doing Time is such a brilliantly named book, and absolutely gave itself to the theme of the poem.