World Class Poetry Blog

“Miracles” From 32 Poems
9 April 2008, the poet @ 10:15 pm

Today’s religious poem: “Miracles” by H.L. Hix, as appeared in 32 Poems.

When they saw a man blind from birth begging,
they asked, Who failed, this man or his parents?
He replied, Seek not cause but occasion.
He spat, made a paste of dust and spittle,
molded it over the blind man’s eyelids,
and sent him to wash in Siloam’s pool.

Even as the waves broke over the boat,
lightning showed him still asleep in the stern,
and they marveled at one not subject to storms.

When the crowd found him on the other shore,
he said to them, You seek me not because
my words sustain you but because I gave
you back more bread than you had bought. Go,
find bread within yourselves, among yourselves.

Sometimes the simplest poems are the best. There are no intricacies in this poem. It is like a story, a narrative lyric that plays off a popular legendary moment. It’s final emotional truth relies upon a castrated version of the real story. It is true all the way up to the last line, where we find that it doesn’t quite end the way we know that it actually does. Yet we can be OK with that because it does end in such a way that it sheds light on the story as we know it. We can see it from a different perspective, in a different way, and still be blessed.

2 Comments a ““Miracles” From 32 Poems”

1. deborah — April 11, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
   

   Thanks for the shout out for 32. I was showing your blog to a class last night and was shocked — and amused — to see the magazine mentioned. They thought it was quite the coincidence that 32 was mentioned on the blog I happened to pick. LOL

2. the poet — April 11, 2008 @ 5:07 pm
   

   No problem, Deborah. I’m glad I can still shock - and amuse. Sometimes I even get around to awe. Or is that, Awwww?

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