THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV 23, 2014. PLEASE VISIT THE NEW SITE HERE AFTER JAN 1, 2021 TO CONTINUE TO ACCESS THE LAST TEN YEARS OF NEARLY ORTHODOX AND SEE NEW POSTS! I could not help but think of Lot’s wife when I heard that our topic for today is “salt.” And then I could not help but think of a poem by an Orthodox poet I like a…
“And then I was standing at the edge. It would surprise you how near to home. And the abyss? Every shade of blue, all of them readily confused, and, oddly, none of this as terrifying as I had expected, just endless.” –Scott Cairns “Short Trip to the Edge” Well, first off, I don’t generally “review” books. Let’s just be clear about that. Reviews can be so subjective, and what one person…
“Poetry is when language attains a degree of opacity, and you can’t see right through it.” This quote came from my pal, Scott Cairns when I asked him to talk about the intersection of poetry and liturgy. I was fortunate to have gathered a small posse of smart Orthodox poet-types and ask them questions at the Festival of Faith and Writing in Grand Rapids . Much wisdom came forth from Scott, Gaelan…
Good Friday always finds me lacking, or running, or desperate to “catch up.” So, in an effort to dial things back a notch and at the same time, dig in to the quiet moments of a crazy life, I’ll just offer this today. I offer it because poetry has the ability to reach those deep places in me no matter what the circumstances of my life. And I want to connect with…
This coming Sunday, Jan. 12, will be the two year anniversary of the post that has inexplicably (to me) probably been the most-read thing I’ve ever written. It’s always somewhat odd to me to note the things that get the most hits. They’re almost invariably stuff that’s more off-the-cuff than much-deliberated (like this silly post of coffee and theology jokes). (Kind of depressing, really.)…