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“Even now, in sordid particulars,
the eternal design may appear.”
—T.S. Eliot, Murder in the Cathedral
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Among the moan of kine and smell of sheep,
The plaintive whine of fowls half-asleep,
A woman in the throes of Eve’s distress
(Who never chose this charge, yet answered “yes”)
Now gasps in pain; and here among the cold,
Chaotic air of Adam’s night grown old,
God’s Son arrives among such sordid signs,
Concealed in Heaven’s earth-and-straw designs.
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The Moment of Our Lord.
“… without the meaning there is no time; and that
moment of time gave the meaning.”
moment of time gave the meaning.”
—T.S. Eliot, “Choruses from the Rock”
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“And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
And of his kingdom there will be no end.” —Luke 1: 33
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Now earth stands still; now time hangs weighted
With expectant thrill, its cadence suspended:
A cosmic clock’s anticipated
Pendulum swing has stopped between
B.C. and A.D. At the top of its arc,
Like a wrecking ball in history’s fading dark,
It is poised to demolish the era that has ended—
Yet with hardly a sound, scarcely heard or seen
By the world, whose temporal rhythmic gears
Could not have told its minutes or counted its years.
Here, past and future are quietly invaded
By this present moment. Earth’s old timepiece is outdated,
Replaced by the gift of eternal meaning
From One who ever shall be, and who was from the beginning.
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Cynthia Erlandson is a poet and fitness professional living in Michigan. Her second collection of poems, Notes on Time, has recently been published by AuthorHouse, as was her first (2005) collection, These Holy Mysteries. Her poems have also appeared in First Things, Modern Age, The North American Anglican, The Orchards Poetry Review, The Book of Common Praise hymnal, and elsewhere.
Such lovely poetry is a treat to read on the eve of Christmas, thank you! I really appreciate the imagery of the pendulum swinging like a wrecking ball, demolishing the old dispensation, and the woman who answered “yes”.
Merry Christmas to you too.
Thank you so much, Yael! May you have a deeply meaningful Christmas.
Cynthia, I enjoyed “The Eternal Design” but I especially love the way you play with Time in “The Moment of Our Lord” as you develop the metaphor of time stopped throughout the poem, that “pendulum stopped between BC and AD.” There’s a cinematic quality to what you’ve done — as if you froze the frame and then did a close-up of that moment when God entered into ordinary time. And you explain beautifully the profound importance of this moment. Well done! And Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you, too, Brian, and thank you very much! It took many years and many poems for me to realize how obsessed I am with the theme of Time. It is such a profound and perplexing entity, that I eventually organized all of my “time” poems into my collection “Notes on Time.” I’m so pleased with your description of the pendulum imagery as a freeze-frame, and your appreciation of the importance of this unique Moment.
Brian, you are correct. Both these poems are about the coming of eternity into time. and changing all things forever.
This morning my wife read aloud to me the introduction to Christmas Day in the Roman Martyrology. Let me quote just a part:
“In the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad, in the year seven hundred and fifty-two from the founding of the city of Rome, in the forty-second year of the empire of Octavian Augustus, when the whole word was at peace, in the sixth age of the world, Jesus Christ, eternal God, and Son of the eternal Father, desirous to sanctify the world by His most merciful coming, having been conceived by the Holy Ghost, and nine months having elapsed since His conception, is born in Bethlehem of Juda, having become Man of the Virgin Mary.”
My wife broke into tears at reading this passage, and so did I at hearing it. It is, as Cynthia says, “The Moment of Our Lord.” Eternity bursts into the narrative of time, and the Divine is Incarnate. And all specific times and places are never the same again.
Hail, Holy Mother, Mediatrix of All Graces, and Co-Redemptrix.
Thank you, Joseph; I am very grateful that you’ve posted the quote from the Roman Martyrology, which I hadn’t read before, which declares in great detail that the specific time of Christ’s birth was divinely chosen — when, as you say, “eternity bursts into the narrative of time”. A blessed and merry Christmas to you!
These two poems, Cynthia, kick ass, and I wish I had written them. Do you ever wonder how it is you do what you do? Do you ever not wonder?
I truly treasure this comment, C.B., especially coming from an extremely “kickass” poet as you are. Thank you especially for the question — yes, in fact, I do wonder; it is a deep mystery how poetry — as all other gifts — comes out of the human mind and soul. So, thank you for reminding me to sit back and marvel at the gifts that The Word Made Flesh gives to his creatures. In my case, the poetry inclination seemed to come out of nowhere; though I’d always done well in writing in general, and enjoyed it, I decided to take a poetry writing class in my last year of college, and suddenly felt like I’d discovered who I am. A very merry Christmas to you!
Your excellence in writing poetry continues to shine with these two poems that explore the time-space continuum and reverberate within our hearts and minds as we celebrate the birth of our savior. Merry Christmas, Cynthia!
And a merry Christmas to you as well, Roy, and many thanks for your supportive comments!
Cynthia, these two poetic marvels ignite the page with their wonder and what a privilege it is to read them on Christmas morning. I am in awe of the savage beauty of the first… you have taken the Eliot quote and given it angel’s wings… and “The Moment of Our Lord” is a mind-blowing blast of creativity with a message that soars. Cynthia, thank very much indeed!
Susan, I am moved to know that you are in awe of what I’ve written, since I am so often in awe of your writing! Some of T.S. Eliot’s poetry, especially these epigraphs, have helped me better understand my obsession with Time, and how profound a thing it is — and how profound a splitting of Time was our Saviour’s birth. Merry Christmas!
Two well-crafted poems, Cynthia, with good content. I particularly liked the rhythm and flow in the first one.
Merry Christmas!
Thank you, Gary!
Chillingly numinous, verging on incantational. “Heaven’s earth-and-straw designs”: this makes me think of the intricate “straw designs” my ancestors ornamented Christmas with. “If design govern in a thing so small”: but it does, does. Design is printed squarely and in every other sacred shape in the muddy foot and hoof prints of the stable floor. Earth-and-straw, wattle-and-daub, a darksome house of mortal clay! Merry Christmas, Cynthia.
Merry Christmas to you, too, Monika! I’m honored by your description of my poems — thank you!
Cynthia, I like the working out in your first poem of the Edenic parallels and contrasts to the Nativity story! And Eliot’s reflection that, without something to give history meaning, there wouldn’t be any – that “wrecking ball” event which was yet so quiet and ultimately constructive, not just demolishing but recreating!
I’m very happy that you were drawn to the Edenic parallels, Jeremiah. Thank you for bringing that up. For many years, I have been fascinated by the parallels between the Old and New Testaments. And, as I’ve said before, to the theme of Time, so much so that the clock’s pendulum seemed to present itself to me as a wrecking ball.
Cynthia, your work is beyond compare. We are blessed to have you in our midst.
Christmas Blessings to you!
Sally, I am full of gratitude for your comment! I am blessed to have found SCP. It is such a wonderful, healthy group of talented poets. I have been much encouraged by being a part of it.
Cynthia, I’ve read your powerful and beautiful poems for entirely the wrong reason! My usual Christmas preoccupations meant that I found it difficult to read any SCP contributions around that time, but I’ve since wanted to find a way of contacting you to thank you for your very kind comments on ‘Ever-Present’, which I received via Jeffrey. In doing so I’ve been led to these two treasures of yours. Thank you sincerely, both for your profound and lovely poems and for your generous comments.
Thank you very much, Bruce! I’m very glad you’ve found this Society, and glad also that I found The Catholic Poetry Room.