.

One Miracle After Another

A misty morning greeted by the sun
Whose dappled rays arouse the drowsing Earth;
The grandeur in the web a spider’s spun;
A mother’s tearful joy for a safe birth;
The giddy pride a groom feels in his bride.
Companionship lent by a loyal friend;
The windswept wonder of a falcon’s glide;
The hint of Spring that augurs Winter’s end.
Although I rail against a world of wrong
And ache with scorn at civil rot and rifts,
My troubled soul can still exalt with song
A Father who has graced us with such gifts!
Like stars, they number more than men can list.
I shall not let God’s miracles be missed!

.

.

Shake the Dust from Off Your Feet

Matthew 10: “These Twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions… And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand… If the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.”

I write these words on vellum as a scribe
To chart our progress ere we join again
Our loving Master, prophet to our Tribe.
Commissioned to reveal His Truth to men,
I went with Simon, my beloved brother,
That fishers we might be of souls; to share
That Love has come to Earth in flesh—no other
Law need be fulfilled! And to declare:
Repentance must ring out throughout the land
For Heaven’s Kingdom is at last at hand!

According to the wise words of our Master
We carried neither food nor robes nor gold
Ensuring we be offered shelter faster
And marked in all we did and what we told.
We soon approached the town of Sepphoris
In Galilee—a tidy, well-off place—
And there we boldly preached. We did not miss
A chance to teach the townsfolk face to face.
We prayed for what to say and served our parts,
Our Father’s words emblazoned on our hearts.

They greeted us, but we were not believed!
The words we spoke were met with rolling eyes.
We showed our Master’s grace to the bereaved,
And with His help we caused the sick to rise;
But cynics saw no wonder in these acts.
Some claimed we were demented, that we lied!
Coincidence, they said. Based not on facts!
Our works of love were miracles denied.
The townsfolk simply would not see or hear;
They tossed us coins so we would not come near.

Betimes we met a farmer who milled groats.
He grumbled at us as he ploughed his sod
To make the soil ripe for next year’s oats.
He had no time to speak with us of God.
We met a carpenter who nailed a shelf.
He laughed to hear the Rabbi we obey
Was also just a carpenter himself
And yet presumed to teach us how to pray.
We next preached near the temple in the square,
But no one listened. No one seemed to care.

I never knew indifference was so rife
Among so many troubled, faithless souls!
Have they no interest in eternal life?
Do they but care for shallow, earthly goals?
They do not see the folly in their choice:
That disrespect for God has undermined
All that they plan! They’ve blotted out His voice,
Preferring to remain both deaf and blind.
Such apathy, I’ve learned—far more than woe—
May be salvation’s most persistent foe.

We met a shepherd as we reached the road.
He heard us preach and clapped with honest joy.
He bid us eat and rest in his abode,
And when we prayed he beamed just like a boy.
He pointed to the town and shook his head.
Some men, he said, choose chaff instead of wheat.
This shepherd echoed what our Master said:
“My brothers, shake the dust from off your feet;
Go try another town and do not grieve.
Great wisdom lies in knowing when to leave.”

.

.

Courage Is the Thing That Soars

a poetic reply to Emily Dickinson

Courage is the thing that soars like hope.
But it’s not feathered—no, it’s built from scars
And runs on muscle—tight and strong as rope.
It scorns to perch; nor does it shrink from wars.

It seldom sings, but like a heart it throbs.
It quotes Invictus as it strikes and stings,
Refusing to concede to angry mobs
And standing up to emperors and kings.

Real Courage does not simply roost and fly;
It stands unyielding in Extremity.
Against all odds, it boldly dares to try—
And, unlike hope, asks Everything of me.

.

.

Brian Yapko is a lawyer who also writes poetry. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets.

The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.


Trending now:

28 Responses

  1. Julian D. Woodruff

    All 3 are splendid, Brian. The ending of “Dust” really struck me. As for “Courage,” I’d like to have been able to talk with ED about her idea; mine is much closer to yours. And it’s growing daily clearer that we need it in standing up to a large company besides “emperors and kings.”

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you, Julian. I wholeheartedly agree with you on the need to have courage these days. It’s not easy to resist the pressure to either think as others would have you think or else be silent. For me neither acquiescence nor silence are options.

      Reply
  2. Peg

    Thank you, Brian… touching, especially DUST in these times as well…God bless you and yours!

    Reply
  3. Peter Hartley

    Brian – I liked all three of these, particularly the first that has for me echoes of G M Hopkins and his “The world is charged with the grandeur of God / It will flame out like shining from shook foil,” and low and behold on line seven we have his windhover ( the falcon’s glide). All three very well done!

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you, Peter! I hadn’t thought of Hopkins when writing “One Miracle After Another” but I greatly admire his work — especially the poem you quoted. I think I’m due for a Hopkins refresher.

      Reply
  5. Paul Freeman

    I particularly enjoyed your poem on courage. Amongst the Courageous we have numerous journalists around the world standing up to today’s wannabe emperors and kings.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you, Paul. And God bless those courageous journalists and everyone else who’s willing to stand up for truth and the right to think for oneself without being condemned. Imagine having to steel oneself for battle and risk one’s safety and career simply because one expresses an opinion which is not on the approved list!

      Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you, Mike. And thank you for the video that you shared. As I said to Paul I’m very grateful for intrepid journalists (and other humans) who actually dig and investigate the truth rather than simply spread false news (either from laziness or from an ideological agenda for which truth is irrelevant.)

      I see a confluence of some of humanity’s worse traits coming to the surface — the desire of some to control absolutely, the desire of some to not have to think critically, the desire of some to see only what supports their ideology, and the instinct of many to simply become lemmings and run with the herd as they all leap over a cliff. It takes real courage not to succumb to pressure and to bear witness to the truth.

      Now that my blood is boiling I think I’ll work on another poem — perhaps on this very subject.

      Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you very much, Cynthia! You know, it’s a funny thing… the more I write poetry the more I WANT to write poetry.

      Reply
  8. C.B. Anderson

    These poems, Brian, were about as clean in style and technique as you could want a poem to be, but they are anything but bland. Lucid & lucent.

    Reply
  9. Yonathan Asefaw

    I loved “One Miracle After Another” it really touched me but my own concern for it was that it was too preachy and reminded me almost like a Shakespeare poem but written in modern day. Though Shake Off the Dust from Your Feet was interesting and concept-wise I liked it! The last one was a bit boring for me as I have read poems like that before.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you, Yonathan, for your thoughts on these poems. The Miracle poem probably reminded you of Shakespeare because it’s in a sonnet form which has been disguised into something of a laundry list of things to be grateful for. And I admit that it is a bit preachy — but only in the sense that the speaker is preaching to himself but with the hope that the reader also finds something to agree with.

      Reply
  10. David Watt

    These are three excellent poems, both for their technical merit and the truths they illuminate. ‘Courage Is The Thing That Soars’ is my favourite. Courage does indeed ask everything of the individual.

    Reply
  11. Jeff Eardley

    Brian, I guess that like myself, you are a lover of the Great Outdoors, perfectly described here to remind us of the joys to be found out there. The courage of the twelve is echoed in the last poem, particularly now as we remember the courageous fallen of conflict. I enjoyed these immensely. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Yes, like you I very much love being out in nature. Thank you very much, Jeff!

      Reply
  12. jd

    Enjoyed all three, Brian. Courage… was my favorite for its timeliness (all three are that) and its use of reply to Emily Dickinson’s as catapult. I loved the visuals brought forth by the first and the poetic narrative skill of the 2nd.

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you very much, J.D.! For the record, “Courage” is my favorite of the three as well.

      Reply
  13. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Brian, I simply adore ‘One Miracle After Another’ for its beautiful, joyous, and uplifting message, and, of course for its marvelous craftmanship – especially the internal rhyme and use of alliteration; assonance and consonance. Every poem rolls along smoothly and effortlessly with every carefully placed and chosen word never once distracting this reader from the message within. And, wow, the message of ‘Shake the Dust from Off Your Feet’ and ‘Courage Is the Thing That Soars’ have held my hand and helped me through the last few days. I challenge those who think poetry is for aesthetic purposes only. I firmly believe poetry can bring about changes that make a difference. In my case your poems are mightier than the poisoned tongue of a pompous, pugnacious prig who revels in podsnappery – high praise, indeed!

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Susan, I’m overjoyed by your comment. Thank you. I truly believe that poetry can make a difference. William Ernest Henley’s Invictus poem that I reference has inspired many. Or think of Francis Scott Key writing an inspiring four-stanza poem which ultimately became the National Anthem! I’m not in their league and I realize that the odds of writing something motivating like that aren’t great. Nonetheless, I’m very pleased that my work has helped you in some way. To hear that it has done so is very humbling.

      Reply
  14. Margaret Coats

    Brian, I am sorry to have missed these when they first came out (I had a good reason). “One Miracle after Another” is a fine poem of cheer. “Shake the Dust from Off your Feet” is a serious consideration of the initial preaching of the Twelve, developing into thought over why so many human beings usually seem to give no thought to the most important issues in life. You take a risk in the very first stanza by having the disciples declare “Love is All You Need,” which was certainly not their perspective, or the message of Jesus, who came to fulfill the Law. You do, however, very quickly catch the error with the call for repentance. Thinking back to that time when expectation in Palestine was clearly much higher than it is anywhere at present, you are able to display well the perplexed thoughts of the Twelve as their mission proceeds. And they are still (in this poem and at this point of the Gospel) far from the end of their life with Jesus on earth or from the totally unexpected arrival of the Holy Spirit as they become leaders of the unprecedented Holy Church. What a time and place in history to live! This is a most ambitious poem. Can’t really complain that it is too human, for the men showed themselves just as human long after this point. I suppose the question is, should we (and history) have learned more from them? That’s a lot to ask from the poet! Very worthy attempt to tackle it!

    Reply
    • Brian Yapko

      Thank you, Margaret. I hope all is well and that you have had a happy Thanksgiving! I appreciate your insights on my poem. Thank you for seeing the ambition — perhaps not fully realized — in what I was trying to do. I did, of course, want to do justice to the work of the Apostles but at the same time my underlying thought was to demonstrate that the negativity the Apostles encountered in the early years of the First Century might not have been all that dissimilar to the negativity (militant atheism, rampant materialism, indifference to religion) encountered by people of faith in our own century. I see the present as a time where untold numbers of people “choose chaff instead of wheat.” But, thank God, not everyone.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.