A Thoughtful Gift

Recently someone gave me a slim little volume of poems, The Wild Iris by Louise Gluck. It was thoughtful in two ways; the giver knew that I am lovestruck by all things pertaining to gardening and growing things, and also that I am a writer in search of good reading. She fed two loves with this one gift.

What is ironic is how timely this gift is, how on-target. I don't know that the giver realized how apropos this gift is. Consider this review from Amazon.com:

In an earlier set of poems, The Garden, Gluck retold the myth of Eden; in this sequence it is clear that paradise has been lost, and the poet, Eve-like, struggles to make sense of her place in the universe...[Snip] The reader shares the poet's human predicament of being caught between these material and spiritual worlds, each lush and musical, drawing inspiration from both: from the flowers, a hymn to communality; from the god, a universal view of human suffering.

Most of the time I am drawn to the more lyrical, poetic books of the Bible than I am the historical accounts or epistles. The history and the letters instructs my mind, and yes my soul. But it is poetry and verse that really lifts my feet off the ground and shakes the dust of the world off. The idea that Jesus, the Word Made Flesh is therefore as much Poetry as Rhetoric is soothing, endearing and encouraging.

So my plans to be industrious in several Christmas-related tasks such as shopping, baking, and writing out Christmas cards has gone completely off the rails. Instead I've been entranced by the words of a poet speaking in the language of flowers, and meditating on things both human and divine. This little book, though at first glance seemed lightweight and innocuous is pulling me in and under.

What a thoughtful gift indeed!