Skip to main content

THE MEETING WITH GOD by Jennifer Doane Upton

This is a poem dealing with an ambiguous asceticism…

On the one hand, this asceticism is necessary; on the other, it is in danger of going too far, of cutting off the very life it is attempting to heal. “My soul” is the Self that is beyond the identity of “I”.

This poem is from my recently-published collection Black Sun: Poems 1965-1985 (Finishing Line Press, 2014) which can be purchased here.
Photograph 'Dark River' by  Ziut Klosinski 

The Meeting with God

I, who do not know my own soul’s name
have already seen her,
disguised as the shadow of a river,
saying to me:

“Cry as much as you can
for you cannot live another day
without meeting God.
Your heart cannot be broken more.”

When I came back into the world
all those of the world made me forget you,
saying that I’d loved you more
than anyone could love God;
God would punish me, they all said,
by making me love even more.
How can I pretend not to know you
when I have loved you since
before the day I was born?
You are among a new people.
And my soul has come here
to help me find you.

“Give up the last thing you could own,”
    she says,
“Take the last bite of food out of
    your mouth.
Give up this life.”



Jennifer Doane Upton was born in eastern Kentucky in 1947, and studied under Wendell Berry at the University of Kentucky. In 1972 she moved to California where she studied poetry with Jack Gilbert and Jack Marshall, and published in several little magazines and anthologies. She has had a lifelong interest in the mystical poetry of the world, and later in life developed an interest in traditional metaphysics and comparative religion. In 2004 she returned to Kentucky with her husband Charles. The following year, her book 'Dark Way to Paradise: Dante’s Inferno in Light of the Spiritual Path' was published by Sophia Perennis. The present poem(s) are from her recently-published collection Black Sun: Poems 1965-1985 (Finishing Line Press, 2014) which can be purchased here.

~If you are interested in seeing your poetry appear in this blog, or submitting a poem by a woman that has inspired you, please click here for submission guidelines. I greatly look forward to hearing from you!~ 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

IMAGINE A WOMAN by Patricia Lynn Reilly

  This poem invites you to look upon yourself with loving kindness… Gazing at your own true reflection, you will discover that everything you have longed for “out there” is already within you! I invite you to love your creativity fiercely. Faithfully plant seeds, allowing under-the-ground dormant seasons, nurturing your creative garden with love and gratitude. In the fullness of time, the green growing things thrust forth from the ground. It's a faithful, trustworthy process. AND it takes time and patience.  Blessed is the fruit of your creative womb! I invite you to trust your vision of the world and express it. With wonder and delight, paint a picture, create a dance, write a book, and make up a song. To give expression to your creative impulses is as natural as your breathing. Create in your own language, imagery, and movement. Follow no script. Do not be limited by the customary way things have been expressed. Your creative intuition is original. Gather

THE JOURNEY by Mary Oliver

Today we honor Mary Oliver (1936-2019) and all the words she left behind. May they inspire you on your journey!  Excerpt from Mary Oliver’s book Long Life: Essays and Other Writings : "Poets must read and study... but, also, they must learn to tilt and whisper, shout, or dance, each in his or her own way, or we might just as well copy the old books. But, no, that would never do, for always the new self swimming around in the old world feels itself uniquely verbal.  And that is just the point: how the world, moist and bountiful, calls to each of us to make a new and serious response. That's the big question, the one the world throws at you every morning. 'Here you are, alive. Would you like to make a comment?'" The Journey By Mary Oliver  One day you finally knew what you had to do, and began, though the voices around you kept shouting their bad advice-- though the whole house began to tremble and you felt the old tug

STILL I RISE by Maya Angelou

Six years ago, I had the privilege of listening to Maya Angelou speak live on the value of poetry at the University of Florida. I share these reflections with you again today, in honor of her birthday.  I was relieved to get one of the last seats available for this rare event, having arrived at five for Maya Angelou ’s free speech at eight. The historically long line began with people settled into beach chairs in winter coats busying themselves on tablets, or eating sandwiches for dinner. As helicopters hovered above and newscasters below, I felt the excitement of realizing that thousands of people were gathering together to hear an eighty four year old black woman recite her poetry! Maya Angelou speaking at University of Florida on Feb. 27, 2013  When the curtain rose -after an overflow of hundreds were sent away- we lucky ones on the inside greeted Maya with a standing ovation, as she smiled sweetly, beginning her talk using metaphors from nature. Maya asked that we