Sharon Talbott
First Prize 2006 Novice Christian Poetry Contest $500
Sharon Talbott lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children. They
are all members of Grace Fellowship Community Church. For Sharon, the Word,
preached from the pulpit and acted out in the lives of the saints in this
congregation, kindles yearning and worship that can only be expressed through
poetry.
The poem "Triptych" came when she was exploring art prints of painted
tryptychs with her children at Christmas. In several of these, the central
mystery of the Annunciation was supported with side panels suggestive of other
stories leading to this pivotal moment, and scenes of ordinary life that
flowed out of this moment.
Editor's Note: Sharon's poem was submitted in "triptych" fashion with the three stanzas arranged side-by-side, but our web site format does not permit us to duplicate that presentation.
Triptych
I.
Salvation
—the wild vine—
was not observed
by cloistered holy men
to burst from alien pod
fully formed,
all knowing
effortlessly self-contained
true, He is a convergence of history
which is amazing, but
too, He had a mother
who bore and raised him
the usual way
a seed softly sown
in a young woman
(gracious acceptance)
grew
then
pushed
out
marking the point
when He began
life on our terms
he came
as he left
in warm blood and water;
both times His mother
shed tears at the cost of
bringing new Life to the world
II.
She remembered the signs,
told fabulous stories at bedtime
about her treasures—
three gifts, a star,
shepherd songs
She reminded him how
to recognize angels; greet properly—
please lower your eyes
(his first instinct
was not fear)
She wrote names on his heart;
as rabbis cherished ancient prospects,
“Messiah”, the young
attentive boy
heard his call
When her son wondered how
one knows the right hour, she recalled
strain in the saddle,
the stable presented in the
nick of time;
she replied, “God
keeps the promise; you
just be ready”
A sword twists in her breast;
what mother, even one
committed to revolution
sacrifices her son
gracefully?
Nevertheless,
captivated by more than just
his merry eyes, or the stray
wisp of hair on a smooth round brow,
she sang him her song
Magnificat
and He grew to love the hope
—He wanted to BE the hope
of the world
III.
Here is a secret
Mothers know:
Love is not the work of a day.
Mindful of the beginning
Focused on the end
Sustaining and sustained
The mother’s kit includes
whispered lore,
attention to signs,
a hand extended on the path,
admonishments to
“remember who you are,”
context and purpose for
every small act and choice,
a miscellany of other tricks under the
governance of love
With lifetimes of such diligence accrued,
universes are redeemed.
Copyright 2004 Sharon Talbott