I am dizzy with love,
Standing in the rain,
This cosmic blessing
Pouring on my head,
Mingling with tears of gratitude
Til one stream
can not be deciphered
From the other.
.
I am an Original Blessing,
As are you,
And we are not born in sin,
But brought into the light of life
In great joy and anticipation.
.
Our first bellows are not of pain
But surprise at the roominess of the Cosmos,
As we kick feet, flail arms
And finally open eyes at the glorious colors
Of Nature.
.
Original sin would have us
Born rotten,
A theological monkey on our back–
But I know no God of the Cosmos
Who would scar these tiny blessings
With such a heavy burden.
.
Original Blessing is a deliverance,
A deliverance of hope, trust and pride
A heritage where we can discern and save
Ourselves,
Walk in harmony with the Earth,
Stride with God across the span of life–
For this Earth is our cradle,
And all in it our kin.
.
For a truly wise person
Kneels at the feet of all creatures
And is not afraid to endure
The mockery of others.
.
And when the day sidles up to night
I will settle into the nest of the Earth,
Draw the dark blanket of the Cosmos
Across me,
Pillow my head upon stars
And know the blessings I have been
Graced with today and always
Have come from the womb of God.
.
Jane Kohut-Bartels
Copyrighted, 2016
Tags: dversepoets.com, Faith, not original sin, Original Blessing, theology
December 1, 2016 at 11:04 pm
The whole poem from beginning, middle, & this ending:
Draw the dark blanket of the Cosmos
Across me,
Pillow my head upon stars
And know the blessings I have been
Graced with today and always
Have come from the womb of God.
It’s rare that I throw this word around. Your poem is genius.
🙂
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December 1, 2016 at 11:15 pm
Thank you, charliezero1. It came from a nasty theological struggle with people who were theological bullies. Thank you so much. I’m heading back to bed…have the flu. Will be over tomorrow to read.
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December 1, 2016 at 11:17 pm
oh! my…I’m so sorry to hear about these people bullying you. Don’t worry I got your back and I will defend you against those bullies. I hate bullies myself. I was a victim of bullying, so I know exactly what that feels like.
You express yourself so wonderfully.
Please do stop by tomorrow on my blog. You’ll love the title and the poem itself. Trust me. 🙂
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December 1, 2016 at 11:49 pm
An inspiring read Jane ~ I love love this part:
Original Blessing is a deliverance,
A deliverance of hope, trust and pride
A heritage where we can discern and save
Ourselves,
Walk in harmony with the Earth,
Stride with God across the span of life–
For this Earth is our cradle,
And all in it our kin.
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December 2, 2016 at 1:13 am
But surprise at the roominess of the Cosmos.. beautifully said. Love the positivity in your poem.
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December 2, 2016 at 3:11 am
thank you, thotpurge. sometimes being positive about religion is almost impossible.
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December 2, 2016 at 3:12 am
thank you, Grace.
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December 2, 2016 at 3:16 am
I bet I will. The bullies are my two misogynistic brothers…zealots in a fundamental Christianity. But I deeply thank you for having my back; It’s been many decades and finally, I have imposed No Contact to survive their arrogance. If what they exhibit as Christianity…I want nothing to do with it. But I think they are just stupid opportunists. They jumped on something powerful because they are so empty inside. The point of life is to bloom, not to crush the blossoming in others. Thank you, again and I will be over tomorrow.
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December 2, 2016 at 5:25 am
The original sin has to do with clerical power… how else would you shackle a child? Doesn’t matter if it’s a rabbi, a priest or a mullah. It’s all about obedience and bending your head, not to God but to them.
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December 2, 2016 at 5:47 am
I understand how Christianity can be misused, casting judgement on others, when one has no right to. I keep my faith in a higher power, God, the Creator as a personal relationship because I have experienced the hypocrisy. I was moved by this…
“For a truly wise person
Kneels at the feet of all creatures
And is not afraid to endure
The mockery of others.”
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December 2, 2016 at 12:26 pm
A spiritual poem, Jane. I love the following lines so much:
‘And when the day sidles up to night
I will settle into the nest of the Earth,
Draw the dark blanket of the Cosmos
Across me,
Pillow my head upon stars’.
Love xxx 🙂
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December 2, 2016 at 3:23 pm
Oh Kim! I am so glad you liked this poem. It’s about as spiritual as I ever get. LOL! I need to keep this poem in front of my face and believe it in the hard times. Thank you, dear soul…for reading and your lovely comment. Love back.
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December 2, 2016 at 3:28 pm
One, thank you for your understanding, Mish. Christianity can be a battering ram…this was my experience. However, I don’t think these bullies understand anything. They are too caught up in the ‘power’ of their own selves. As for “For a truly…” that section, I remember being involved in reading women mystics…catholic mystics and that influenced me in this writing…along with Hildegarde of Bingen. Funny, when I mentioned her to these family bullies, they had never heard of her! So shallow was their theology, but perhaps because she was a woman….they ignored her. At their own loss I believe. Thank you, Mish.
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December 2, 2016 at 3:29 pm
Yes, Bjorn….I am very familiar with these issues. Thanks for reading.
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December 2, 2016 at 5:04 pm
I love the strength of your own faith that shines through the entire poem, that deep inner knowing that ‘the blessings I have been
graced with today and always have come from the womb of God.’ A beautiful write Jane and I hope you will make a speedy recovery from your flu xxx
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December 2, 2016 at 6:07 pm
We’re created to worship and I know the God of the cosmos loves us!
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December 2, 2016 at 7:28 pm
oh! my…so sorry to hear that your own flesh and blood are the bullies. Well, I’m here for you and I won’t let anyone hurt you or bully you. 🙂 By the way, I’m currently following you page. I like your work and I have a good feeling about you. 🙂
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December 2, 2016 at 8:17 pm
I like that your poem is oozing with positivism and important messages and advice. It is something I like to see, read and feel, no matter what or who inspired it.
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December 2, 2016 at 8:20 pm
Thank you! I have just this morning gone to your blog and read that marvelous poem! It was….new, original, evocative and grabbed me immediately. I like that. And I appreciate your ‘protection’ against the bullies of the world! Would that they be small enough to stand in the corner, but unfortunately religion seems to inspire some of the worse rabidness under the sun. Thank you for following me. I will do the same.
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December 2, 2016 at 8:22 pm
Thank you, Oloriel..,. I wish I could follow my own advice. LOL! I am glad you found it oozing with positivism. I am very happy about that. I find myself starting out the day with a snarl….and it goes downhill from there. I need to be much more positive. Thank you for your very kind comment. Cheers!
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December 2, 2016 at 8:23 pm
Amen, Sistah.
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December 2, 2016 at 8:29 pm
Hello, Xenia! I’m left with sore ribcage…and little coughing so it’s just muscular. Thank you, dear heart.
I really don’t know the strength of my own faith, because I spend so much time doubting faith in general. Then I decided….just give in. You don’t have to sign on the bottom line of any religion that puts a gun to your head…which I feel all of them (including the Bahai’s)….do. There is some ‘reworking’ the psyche until it is more malleable. I don’t like that. I feel we have to make any journey into faith under our own power….our curiosity that grows to something bigger. For me to say….”the blessings I have been graced….” is a big leap for me. I hope to keep leaping. Thank you, Xenia for your insight.
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December 2, 2016 at 8:37 pm
Your poem is, without doubt, pure genius. A privilege to read, truly inspiring. Thank you.
Kind regards
Anna :o]
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December 2, 2016 at 8:41 pm
Hello, Ana! ‘Genius” is a word that is not often applied to anything I write. Lol. Or do. But thank you. If it inspires, that is good. I hope to follow my own words here. Somethings that is a great lag. Thank you.
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December 2, 2016 at 9:01 pm
I hope you keep leaping too and journeying into faith under your own power and from your own heart is the best way. When you are in that place you are more likely to meet the right teachers when you need them. Have a relaxing weekend and I hope you will feel better soon 💖
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December 2, 2016 at 9:34 pm
I like the quiet rebuttal you offer here to those who know the facts.
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December 2, 2016 at 10:46 pm
thank you, Brain. I’m flying by instinct. Nothing really concrete. Don’t know enough about this mighty topic.
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December 2, 2016 at 10:47 pm
Thank you, Xenia! I hope to do just that. Day by day keeping my eyes (and heart) open.
You have the best weekend, and my love to you and yours…especially the doggies.
Jane
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December 2, 2016 at 11:19 pm
🙂 Thank you millions for everything. 🙂 You make the world a better place. 🙂
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December 3, 2016 at 1:12 am
I’ll have to work harder to deserve that praise…but thank you, sincerely.
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December 3, 2016 at 4:48 am
I much more like what our own hearts can summon in love, grace, positivity and how we should behave in this world over all the organized religions that preach too much empty dogma, rituals and beliefs to keep us under their power. This poem came from that good heart of yours that knows all it needs to rest lovingly and kindly in this world. I hope you feel better soon, Jane. xo
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December 3, 2016 at 8:46 am
☺💖
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December 3, 2016 at 3:42 pm
First, thank you, Gayle! And yes, dogma….it’s all over the place. I was attending Mennonite and Quaker Meetings for years, and couldn’t escape the same; You would think….but then again, all organized religions have this issue of dogma, rituals that are instilled to keep a certain power in place. I was not surprised by the Mennonites, (but surprised that the place of women is still behind the men….) but was surprised at the behavior of the local Quaker Meeting. I finally gave up. I was looking for spiritual stuff and the Quakers were mostly concerned with social progress in communities they didn’t dare live in. Well….I gave up. It is hard to summon love, grace and positivity when confronted by some of the ‘authorities’…the self-proclaimed leaders of the usual religions. My son, many years ago…attended an after school (we homeschooled) class in a local Baptist church. He brought a bird’s nest to the class, and ‘leader’ threw it out…claiming that it was bringing disease. My son came home very dejected….and at that point, we drew our ‘experiment’ with different religions to a close. You can’t fix stupid. However, grace and love exists in the hearts of common people…though who don’t have a stake in the power and control of these ‘leaders’. Thank you, Gayle.
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