Blessing for new parents

dedicated to Jennifer and Andi Custer and baby Eleanor.

May your love for your child
know no boundaries or hesitations.
May your love be courageous
in the face of challenges and
forgiving in the face of hurts.
May your love give freedom
to grow and explore.
May your love be an ocean
of protection and comfort.
May your love for your child
become the bedrock of her soul.

May the love of your child
daily remind you of the miracle
of unconditional love.
May her love teach you joy and wonder
for the mysteries of the world.
May her love comfort and encourage you.
May the love of your child
be a rich and constant blessing.

unexpected guest

she seems to be waving
standing on a kitchen chair
this morning’s inscrutable calligraphy
in one hand
a dust cloth
in the other

I’m not sure how I know
this is no ordinary visitation
then, I notice
her feet don’t touch the chair

the cows all seem to have the same idea
clustered under two small trees that lean over the fence
they don’t seem to realize that their proximity,
so many huge, heavy bodies in a small space,
might counteract any coolness the scanty shade had to offer.

by contrast, the haybales are making me think of chilled champagne
or the pale gold of the half-moon I saw last night
they seem to drink in the heat, absorb July
their neat, endless rows a covert battalion in Summer’s army
training for long winter months ahead.

then, they will offer secret hope, a memory of warmth
to the cows.

God said

let there be light
neon light bulb of illumination
deep understanding of self

reclaiming voice

we trust the voice of authority
to the point where we lose our own in doubt

we cling to the voice of rationality
too afraid to grapple
with the beautiful chaos beyond facts

we seek a voice outside
to tell us what we already know inside
but don’t let ourselves hear

when we give up voice
we give up imago dei

I Wonder if the Worms Know

My chapbooks arrived! Its so exciting to hold a hard copy of my work. There are about twenty poems in this collection and all of them centre around spirituality and the evolution of faith. If you’re interested in purchasing a copy, you can order one here . Or if you’ll be at the Convergence Conference in Portland in March, I’ll be bringing a few copies. You can email me to reserve a copy: schafer dot jessica at gmail dot com.

I dig

I dig
layers of thick dirt
alive with earthworms and ants
a hundred feet down
and still going

I dig
expecting to find an ocean
the birth waters of the world
a vast underworld lake
I can set sail on

I dig
somewhere between heaven
and the stars
I reach
for the ground of all being

I am digging a well.

this is an act of faith.

self-publishing…

So I finally decided to take the plunge and self-publish a chapbook. I have no real ambition to be a poet in the literary world, but books are still nicer to read than a computer screen so I wanted to make my work available in hard copy.

The chapbook is titled “I Wonder if the Worms Know” and contains twenty or so poems that revolve around faith and spirituality and tell the story of my own evolution in those areas. It is available here for US $14.99 + shipping. If you’re in my area and would like a copy, let me know and I can save you the shipping.

p.s. I’m bad at selling things, but I would be only too thrilled if you bought a copy. :]

A Blessing for Grandpa’s Last Moments

In memory of my grandfather, Lloyd Jacob Wiebe, who died Saturday, January 9th, 2010.

May you know the deep contentment
of a life beautifully and generously lived.

May you feel the presence and love
of your family surrounding and holding you.

May you sense the heartfelt tenderness and support
of the prayers being offered for you.

May you give thanks for your tired physical body
and the work it was able to accomplish.

May you reach toward the peace and healing
you will find in the place where there is no more pain
and where there are no more tears.

May you be conscious of clouds of witnesses
welcoming you with joy.

May you gently let go
and fall into the infinite grace of your Creator.

favourites of 2009

It is the Eve of a New Year and, as many other bloggers are doing, I thought I would round-up my favourite posts from 2009. Some of them are favourites because they’re some of my better pieces, others merely because I like the memory or image they remind me of.

January: whimsy

February: late afternoon

March: do not ask me who God is

April: it was hard to choose since this was National Poetry Month and I wrote a poem everyday, but since April marks the end of the university school year and effectively ends my working year, I chose: part of me

May: I travelled for all of May so I’m going to cheat and post another poem from April, coincidentally about travelling: everywhere I have never travelled

June: It seems I wrote only one poem in June, or at least posted only one: In the Mount Carmel Chapel

July: Sunday morning with a starfish

August: hope

September: My dear friend Erika got married and I wrote A Marriage Blessing for her.

October: being human

November: I didn’t write poetry at all this month for many reasons, but mostly because I felt a sense of waiting and began exploring new mediums.

December: winter

Enjoy and Happy New Year!