A Nonet for the Burdened

Nonet for the Burdened

There is so much more to accomplish,
More than we can possibly do,
But we are not the Savior,
And even he would rest,
Teaching us to trust
And, sometimes, to
Let go and
Simply
Be.

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A nonet poem offers a form that is both wonderfully simple and endlessly creative. Nine lines, with the first line having nine syllables, and each subsequent line having one fewer, until the last line with its one syllable. I began this particular nonet with the last line, “Be,” and worked up from there. I wanted to honor a prayer that I first learned from Richard Rohr which also ends with the word, “Be.” It is a prayer based on Psalm 46:10. Here it is:

Be still, and know that I am God.
Be still, and know that I am.
Be still, and know.
Be still.
Be.

There are times…