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Brain to Heart

God has made everything beautiful in its time.
He has also set eternity in the human heart.
—Ecclesiastes 3.11

To dig deep holes for bushes, shrubs—
White Hydrangea, Crape Myrtle red—
Sweating, grunting, post-hole digging . . .
Tulips ready for flower beds.

I pause, gaze up at pine-tree heads.
A wedge of geese trumpet in flight.
Beyond the blue, the dot of Mars,
What is beyond eternal night,

Colossal suns, quantum wave flight?
Some living force, Infinite Being
Beyond . . . beyond. Frontal lobes grope—
But not the heart’s inspired seeing.

.

.

Free to Say No but Not Free
to Say Yes?

“Predestination.” “Election.”
This dazzles and frazzles my mind.
Is this the lot of all mankind?
This merits further inspection.

Augustine’s crowd says human sin
Precludes our will and bent to choose—
“Depravity”—leaves me confused.
Indulge my spiel as I begin.

They claim how some are picked, some damned.
God gives His grace to some sinners—
Others some are lost; His are winners
Who build their house on rock, not sand.

Arminius: we have free will
Despite our sin, our wayward ways,
Ambitious lust, endless malaise—
We can take part, though God fulfills

The greater lot to turn our souls.
Whether we do or if we don’t;
Whether we will or if we won’t—
we have some choice when the bell tolls.

Aminius or Augustine—
Who knows God’s will? Am I a pawn
Determined when I’m here, then gone?
Or can I choose and intervene?

I scratch my head—have I free will
Or is the cause a violent itch?
I’m going daft—which one is which?
Pass me a draft—it’s time to chill.

.

.

Peter Venable has been writing poetry for 50 years. He has been published in Windhover, Third Wednesday, Time of Singing, The Merton Seasonal, American Vendantist, The Anglican Theological Review, and others. He is a member of the Winston Salem Writers. On the whimsical side, he has been published in Bluepepper, Parody, Laughing Dog, The Asses of Parnassus, Lighten Up Online (e. g. # 48) and the Society of Classical Poets.

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3 Responses

  1. Jeremiah Johnson

    Peter – that “Brain to Heart” poem – potent and concise! I just sent it out to a bunch of my family and friends, with 1 minor alteration: I changed “What is beyond” to “What’s beyond” – I know that from a traditional perspective that no longer fits the meter – but then there’s something to be said for the natural flow of human speech? Again, I loved the poem, with, among other things, that fluid, rapid movement from the smallest, most to-hand of created things, to the more distant – you’ve given me something to ruminate over today.

    Reply
  2. Paul Freeman

    You have a compelling style, Peter. Simple, yet profound.

    Thanks for the reads.

    Reply
  3. Allegra Silberstein

    Wow…two amazing poems…I especially loved “the heart’s inspired seeing”. Thank you…Allegra

    Reply

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