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The Cleft

There’s danger for the harmless dove; she swoops
Into the cleft of the great mountainside.
Her heartbeat calms as she keeps still and mute
Surrounded by the rock where she abides.
If from her hollow she looks to the vast
Skies she sees her predator remains,
But in this space her lot is firmly cast.
Her confidence will not be made in vain.
I, too, ought seek my refuge in the cleft
Of the Rock who, changeless, keeps me safe.
Though my paltry resources are spent
His mercies and protection will not wane;
The danger doesn’t disappear but He
Always will be watching over me.

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Sonnet on Jeremiah 29

You know the thoughts that for me you desire:
Peace, not evil, an expected end.
By your spirit you ignite the fire,
Then I will long to be your child and friend.
I will cry to you and lift my prayers;
You will hear my voice and answer me.
Wholeheartedly I will search everywhere,
And when I find you, you will set me free.
I’ve been a captive far too many years;
But now my smitten soul to you returns.
I’ll reap with joy what I have sown in tears;
By your mercy life within me burns.
Babylon was not my native land,
I’m thankful to again in Canaan stand.

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Gigi Ryan is a wife, mother, grandmother, and home educator. She lives in rural Tennessee.

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10 Responses

  1. Michael Pietrack

    These are wonderful topics worthy of poetic expression, and you’ve done it beautifully.

    Reply
    • Gigi Ryan

      Dear Michael,
      Thank you for your comment. I agree that these are wonderful topics. Writing poetry about Scripture always gives me good things to think about.
      Gigi

      Reply
  2. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Gigi, these are two beautiful poems that inspire the soul. Occasionally we need to seek shelter in safe places just like the dove. Jeremiah was one of my favorite Bible books to read. There is so much encouragement in his words. Thank you for these gifts.

    Reply
    • Gigi Ryan

      Dear Roy,
      You are most welcome. I am thrilled that you were encouraged and your soul inspired. My primary goal of writing is to do exactly those things for others.
      Gigi

      Reply
  3. Cynthia Erlandson

    You have put the “cleft of the rock” metaphor into sonnet form very well, with a lovely image of the dove. And in the second poem, I really like the way you have inverted the biblical phrase to “I’ll reap with joy what I have sown in tears.”

    Reply
    • Gigi Ryan

      Dear Cynthia,
      Thank you for taking time to make these observations and share them. I appreciate it.
      Gigi

      Reply
  4. Shamik Banerjee

    Dear Gigi, thank you for these beautiful poems. I absolutely love the cleft metaphor. These lines:

    Skies she sees her predator remains,
    But in this space her lot is firmly cast.
    Her confidence will not be made in vain.

    Clearly say that as long as the worldly drama goes on, tribulations will never leave our sight, yet, by being in the cleft of God, we can feel protected and have the greatest defence mechanism with us. Beautiful analogy and excellent work!

    Reply
    • Gigi Ryan

      Dear Shamik,
      Thank you for your kind words and comments. I agree with your application to current events. Writing helps me to meditate on the truth.
      Gigi

      Reply
  5. Margaret Coats

    Lovely choice of image in “The Cleft” and emphatic employment of words in the Jeremiah sonnet. The dove in the cleft of the Rock is a precious Biblical picture that has a special appeal for me, Gigi, and thus I’m pleased with your poem. In the middle part of your second poem here, you repeat the verb “will” in lines 4-8, with “I” and “you” as alternate subjects of the verb. This depicts confidence and determination in the speaker, and shows her dependence on God whom she trusts to respond. There is one final “will” in “I’ll reap” (line 11), which sets up the “I’m thankful” in the poem’s final line. This is a conversation with God, of which the reader hears only one side, but feels the joy such prayerful talk can bring.

    Reply
    • Gigi Ryan

      Dear Margaret,
      Thank you for taking time to read into what I have written. It has taken me many years of digesting Old Testament stories to see how they are my stories, too. You correctly find that I am in conversation with God; I often use my previously written poems as prayers.
      Gigi

      Reply

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