May 20 Thought for Reflection
Friends in Holy Covenant,
Today I’m working on my Sunday morning sermon, which turns on (at least, right now it does: no promises that it will by Sunday!) the story of Noah’s Ark. As I’ve been pondering the story, and the places in my life and in the life of the world that feel like they could drown me, overwhelm me, I happened upon this poem, which the writer and critic Andrew Sullivan posted on his Atlantic Monthly online blog. It’s by American poet W.S. Merwin, who was recently awarded (for the second time) the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Offered for your pondering…
Peace,
Pastor Trey Hall
“Before The Flood” by W.S. Merwin
Why did he promise me
that we would build ourselves
an ark all by ourselves
out in back of the house
on New York Avenue
in Union City New Jersey
to the singing of the streetcars
after the story
of Noah whom nobody
believed about the waters
that would rise over everything
when I told my father
I wanted us to build
an ark of our own there
in the back yard under
the kitchen could we do that
he told me that we could
I want to I said and will we
he promised me that we would
why did he promise that
I wanted us to start then
nobody will believe us
I said that we are building
an ark because the rains
are coming and that was true
nobody ever believed
we would build an ark there
nobody would believe
that the waters were coming
