God's Loom

A sestina is a rigidly structured 39 line poem. It is composed of 6 stanzas of 6 lines followed by a final stanza of 3 lines. The last word of each line is reused in the following stanza but the lines are re-ordered. This order changes in a specific pattern for each of the 6 stanzas. In the final stanza, all 6 words are used, again in a specific pattern. The final structure is a highly stylized, interwoven poem. I felt that this was quite symbolic of the way God weaves seemingly unrelated events together in life to make a whole. Thus the poem emerged.

A Sestina is a great writing exercise as it requires a careful use of words to lessen the repetition in a very repetitive poem style. Smart, careful use of wording is critical.

Here is the wikipedia article with more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sestina.

God's Loom

The cloth of life is made with care by God.
Both strong and firm his hands the fabric weaves.
And while sometimes we think that life is mean,
The truth we feel within our soul and spirit.
We hide our hearts but still the call does ring
Oh come, oh come and see the pretty lights.

We gaze upon the bright, celestial lights,
And all around we see that he is God,
In lightning strikes and in the rainbow’s ring,
In clouds, and trees, and silken spider weaves,
In lion’s roars and winter’s weary spirit,
His pattern lives in things both great and mean.

His son, a thread, He drew across the mean
Whose word, a flame, inside our hearts He lights.
To mend again our tattered world and spirit,
Our Jesus Christ who was both man and God,
His life, a thread, a path, through darkness weaves
and brings us home with crown and wedding ring.

Before we own the crown and wedding ring,
The Holy Spirit whispers what they mean,
One with our soul he shows us God’s great weaves,
And in our heart he flutters then he lights
He says, “You are the child and bride of God.
Through me we are both joined in heart and spirit.”

A man is first a sick and broken spirit
He’s blind and in the dark his cry does ring
He’s still a lovely thread to holy God
Who finds the place to place a thread that’s mean.
Responding to His touch fills man with lights,
Together Spirit, lights, and crown He weaves.

Responding not, one who rejects God’s weaves,
a broken strand, his bent and darkened spirit
still blends inside the cloth with those with lights
contrasting those with Spirit, crown and ring.
And though he hates our king as one who’s mean
Still none oppose the mighty hand of God.

So move among His weaves and find your ring.
Then He who loves your spirit even mean
will fill your life with lights and be your god.