Keel and Beam

Today’s poem is a sonnet which I wrote during Easter week. The words ‘keel and beam’ were likely in my head because I’d been looking at the spine titles of my incomplete collection of Aubrey Maturin novels by Patrick O’Brian. They stood (and still do stand) quietly judging me from their place on the bookshelf, but that’s another story. The poem itself was one of the “downloaded” sort. By that I mean I received and wrote it with little (and possibly too little) editing. Do you know those sorts of endeavors? They are not so much an act of the will as a receptivity to a moment. That the church is oftentimes depicted as an ark like Noah’s is a common metaphor. I understand that image is a bit more relatable in the timber framing of Norman churches and more directly to the stave churches or Norway. If you were inclined, the relationship between ship and church is not a bad rabbit trail to run down. At any rate, one does not have to stretch too far from church as ark to Jesus as a ship carrying his own through storm-tossed seas. And so I offer this sonnet, Keel and Beam, trusting that you too are being kept safe in his hold. Set as the keel, He was placed between two Ends, and into His arms, He took His crew; As a ship, He bore them into the sea Within the hold of his keel and beam. Though waves break over, He holds them above As on dry ground, He bears them through flood— Keeps them sunward; though dark, grey clouds roll, The arms of his beam keeps them safe in His hold. They do not see Him; He bears neath the waves— Acquainted with grief, passed into the grave, His body stretched ‘cross keel and beam, Then tossed as a Jonah into the sea Where He bears them safe to His harbor’s fold, And they bear Him in the Supper they hold. Thank you for reading! All the mercy, Randy Get full access to Backward Mutters at backwardmutters.substack.com/subscribe