Benchmark
©copyright 2006 Bonita M Quesinberry
The task given is to describe God's love
by its breadth and depth and height.
Yet, I would ask, "What is the best standard
of hollow words phrased just right?"
I could level with Christ showing His love
as thorns pierced into His head
and nails tore through each foot and hand, then wood,
a spear targeting bloodshed.
I could speak of God's love in my own life,
each miracle He has done
and the many ways He has cared for me;
battles won, that I still run.
Yet, these rulers are finite perspectives,
each revealing restrictions;
limits set by using "breadth, depth and height":
love by measured constrictions.
Those meager words imply a fixed digit
setting margins to a box,
its walls calculated in cubic feet
to fit upon sandy lots.
Nay, my God is He who is infinite,
His love immeasurable;
without beginning, without any end:
it is inexpressible.
Is there a yardstick that some might accept?
Would "I love you" gauge for them?
Finite words cannot chart God's boundless love:
the benchmark is to know Him.
+ + +
Ephesians 3:17-19
Romans 11:33
Romans 8:35-39
Psalm 36:5-10; Jeremiah 31:3
Author notes
Personifying God's Love, poem filled with various words used to measure something or someone or a behaviour or an emotion.
In a list
A contest entry
- Just Rhyme by shewalksintomine.
1200 points, ended March 10, 32 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
God's Love cannot be placed in a box, for it cannot be measured: infinity has no beginning or end.
Comments
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I don't really see how this can be a personification. You didn't really give love human qualities and emotions, so I'm going to DQ.
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I think this piece is very insightful, not your generic poem of praise. Some of your lines run a little long which messes with the flow of the piece a little, but your end rhyme is strong and you pick rhyming words that aren't boring. It really helps keep the rhyme from feeling forced.
Thanks for entering, and best of luck to you. -
I think this is really beautiful and for my taste it is well written and nicely presented.
Sheila
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Lucky for you I'm a devout Christian. I'm not saying that had you entered a satanic poem, I might have said, "Be gone from me!" but you get the idea...
My job is to comment on your poetry, not your beliefs though, right? True enough, I did think that you tried to fit a square peg into a round hole several times at the end of each line, but it didn't bother me too much. I loved how you belittled breadth, depth and height and made them insignificant words, kind of like "how high is high?" I thought it was a nice, insightful poem.
Thank you for entering my contest. Good luck to you. Please refrain from rating or replying to any comment made by me or my lovely and wonderful cojudge(s).
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