painting of wolf and lamb by Oudry‘The Shepherd God’: A Poem by Jane Schulert The Society January 4, 2025 Beauty, Culture, High School Submissions, Poetry 14 Comments . The Shepherd God On Autumn eves when solipsistic stars__Peer down on bloody, towering oaksWhose gnarled, twisted branches create bars__Encaging man in Fortune’s spokes,When groaning wind rustles through sloping eaves__To make one wonder why she grieves Despair parades these things before my eyes__Dungeoning the world with gloom,Obscuring heaven’s vivifying skies__To seal creation like a tomb.All this provokes a creeping wretched thought;__Perhaps we all are damned to rot. I dare not let those words roll off my tongue,__But the Wolf-Prince scents weakening sheep.Could my sin-stained self cling as Jacob clung__Until I reach that blessed sleep?Or must my soul be smothered by decay;__Will I, silly lamb, go astray? Yet I belong to Him: the shepherd God,__Who clutched me to His jealous breast,Who made me clean through His own gore, Who trod__With death so sinners may have rest.This price was paid so His children would find__That they might serve with quiet mind. He bought us life on bloody, towering tree__Brow crowned with gnarled, twisted thorns.Nature is bound by cyclic entropy__But I am free, for grace adornsMy soul. Lovingly named Christ’s holy child__I find myself made undefiled. . . Jane Schulert is a high school student who currently resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 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. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Trending now: 14 Responses Michael Pietrack January 4, 2025 Keep up the good work, Jane. You’re very talented for your age. Reply Roy E. Peterson January 4, 2025 Jane, this is a great poem with some choice words that are amazingly well-wrought and raise the poem to the highest levels of excellence. I am taken aback that one so young has such a scintillating command of the English language and of the structuring of such a poem of great worth both in the vividness portrayed and the depth of meaning. Reply Gigi Ryan January 4, 2025 Dear Jane, This poem create images of striking contrast in my mind. The conclusion gave me joyful chills. Your excellent command of language and theology have been put to verse with a sensitive heart. We need more poets with these gifts. Keep up your beautiful work. Gigi Reply Jane Schulert January 5, 2025 Hello, Your words are deeply appreciated, and absolutely made my day. I hope you have an excellent rest of your day, thank you for taking the time to comment! Reply Jeremiah Johnson January 4, 2025 Jane, I love this line: “Nature is bound by cyclic entropy __But I am free, for grace adorns My soul.” The way it speaks to the Christian view of history as a linear narrative rather than as a mere circular pattern – on a personal as well as a universal level. Thanks for a beautiful thought! Reply Jane Schulert January 5, 2025 Hello, That happens to be one of my favorite lines of the piece. It is also one of the lines I rewrote the most, so I am thankful it came out well. Thank you for your comment! Reply Joseph S. Salemi January 4, 2025 This poem shows amazing promise. The simple phrase “solipsistic stars” in the first line caught my attention immediately. And then the follow-up metaphor of oak tree branches as “Fortune’s spokes” was just as intriguing. But the creation of a strange new verb in “Dungeoning the world” was worthy of Francis Thompson. Also, has anyone noticed that the poet uses “tree” in the last stanza in its antique sense of “wood” or “the cross”? A medieval poet might say “Christ Who died on tree,” and wooden platters in that period were said to be “treen” (i.e. made of wood). This usage hasn’t been heard in English since the 15th century. And she also repeats in the last stanza the adjectives “gnarled, twisted” to describe the crown of thorns — adjectives that were used in the first stanza to describe oak branches. This is a significant device for closure. And despite the hearkening back to past language, the poet can also bring in the very modern “cyclic entropy.” You know what this shows in a young poet? Freedom, self-confidence, and a lack of fear when it comes to composition. There are a helluva lot of older poets who could learn from this. Reply Jane Schulert January 5, 2025 Hello, Thank you for your comment, I cannot even put into words what your encouragement meant to me. This poem was heavily inspired by The Darkling Thrush, by Thomas Hardy, and Love (3) by George Herbert. It was also outside my comfort zone as I normally stick to sonnets. The last verse was the most tricky for me. The rest of the verses fell into line rather easily but it needed to have something to tie it together. After many drafts, I finally wrote what it is now. I was especially pleased to get the phrase “cyclic entropy” in there because it had been in my head for a while, and I enjoy the way it sounds said out loud. Once again, I am deeply honored by your comment and appreciate the time you took. Have a wonderful rest of your day! Reply Cynthia Erlandson January 6, 2025 Jane, the Hardy and Herbert poems you mentioned above are among my (many) favorites! Cynthia Erlandson January 4, 2025 Jane, I agree with the comments above; this is really wonderful writing! After reading the first line, I was already sitting up and taking notice; and when I got to the bottom and found out you are a high school student, my eyes popped! Your reference to Jacob’s wrestling match with God is insightful. You are very gifted! Reply Jane Schulert January 5, 2025 Thank you for your comment. I am happy you noticed that particular line, it was the line that inspired the entire poem. It was one of those instances where the phrase began rattling around my brain and I knew I needed to write a poem around it. Thank you! Reply Julian D. Woodruff January 5, 2025 I’m blown away! If you could have the national platform given another (then) highschooler 4 years ago. Reply Paul A. Freeman February 1, 2025 Above all, I enjoyed the youthful feel to your poem, Jane. My favourite line is ‘Will I, silly lamb, go astray?’, expressing the innocence of one who’s growing to realise the world is not such an innocent place. Reply Gary Borck February 1, 2025 This is a super poem, and well deserved to win first prize in the high school competition. Well done Jane! Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Michael Pietrack January 4, 2025 Keep up the good work, Jane. You’re very talented for your age. Reply
Roy E. Peterson January 4, 2025 Jane, this is a great poem with some choice words that are amazingly well-wrought and raise the poem to the highest levels of excellence. I am taken aback that one so young has such a scintillating command of the English language and of the structuring of such a poem of great worth both in the vividness portrayed and the depth of meaning. Reply
Gigi Ryan January 4, 2025 Dear Jane, This poem create images of striking contrast in my mind. The conclusion gave me joyful chills. Your excellent command of language and theology have been put to verse with a sensitive heart. We need more poets with these gifts. Keep up your beautiful work. Gigi Reply
Jane Schulert January 5, 2025 Hello, Your words are deeply appreciated, and absolutely made my day. I hope you have an excellent rest of your day, thank you for taking the time to comment! Reply
Jeremiah Johnson January 4, 2025 Jane, I love this line: “Nature is bound by cyclic entropy __But I am free, for grace adorns My soul.” The way it speaks to the Christian view of history as a linear narrative rather than as a mere circular pattern – on a personal as well as a universal level. Thanks for a beautiful thought! Reply
Jane Schulert January 5, 2025 Hello, That happens to be one of my favorite lines of the piece. It is also one of the lines I rewrote the most, so I am thankful it came out well. Thank you for your comment! Reply
Joseph S. Salemi January 4, 2025 This poem shows amazing promise. The simple phrase “solipsistic stars” in the first line caught my attention immediately. And then the follow-up metaphor of oak tree branches as “Fortune’s spokes” was just as intriguing. But the creation of a strange new verb in “Dungeoning the world” was worthy of Francis Thompson. Also, has anyone noticed that the poet uses “tree” in the last stanza in its antique sense of “wood” or “the cross”? A medieval poet might say “Christ Who died on tree,” and wooden platters in that period were said to be “treen” (i.e. made of wood). This usage hasn’t been heard in English since the 15th century. And she also repeats in the last stanza the adjectives “gnarled, twisted” to describe the crown of thorns — adjectives that were used in the first stanza to describe oak branches. This is a significant device for closure. And despite the hearkening back to past language, the poet can also bring in the very modern “cyclic entropy.” You know what this shows in a young poet? Freedom, self-confidence, and a lack of fear when it comes to composition. There are a helluva lot of older poets who could learn from this. Reply
Jane Schulert January 5, 2025 Hello, Thank you for your comment, I cannot even put into words what your encouragement meant to me. This poem was heavily inspired by The Darkling Thrush, by Thomas Hardy, and Love (3) by George Herbert. It was also outside my comfort zone as I normally stick to sonnets. The last verse was the most tricky for me. The rest of the verses fell into line rather easily but it needed to have something to tie it together. After many drafts, I finally wrote what it is now. I was especially pleased to get the phrase “cyclic entropy” in there because it had been in my head for a while, and I enjoy the way it sounds said out loud. Once again, I am deeply honored by your comment and appreciate the time you took. Have a wonderful rest of your day! Reply
Cynthia Erlandson January 6, 2025 Jane, the Hardy and Herbert poems you mentioned above are among my (many) favorites!
Cynthia Erlandson January 4, 2025 Jane, I agree with the comments above; this is really wonderful writing! After reading the first line, I was already sitting up and taking notice; and when I got to the bottom and found out you are a high school student, my eyes popped! Your reference to Jacob’s wrestling match with God is insightful. You are very gifted! Reply
Jane Schulert January 5, 2025 Thank you for your comment. I am happy you noticed that particular line, it was the line that inspired the entire poem. It was one of those instances where the phrase began rattling around my brain and I knew I needed to write a poem around it. Thank you! Reply
Julian D. Woodruff January 5, 2025 I’m blown away! If you could have the national platform given another (then) highschooler 4 years ago. Reply
Paul A. Freeman February 1, 2025 Above all, I enjoyed the youthful feel to your poem, Jane. My favourite line is ‘Will I, silly lamb, go astray?’, expressing the innocence of one who’s growing to realise the world is not such an innocent place. Reply
Gary Borck February 1, 2025 This is a super poem, and well deserved to win first prize in the high school competition. Well done Jane! Reply