Glory

So, I wrote a poem today. At school we are gearing up for a Spring production of "The Glory of God", and the kids will be writing essays, poems and stories describing the glory of God. I wanted to give an example of slam poetry, so I wrote one. Here it is:

Glory
By Michelle Jamison

Is our world so dim
So dark, so foul
That no goodness can be found?

I see hurting people
Babies neglected
Unemployment soaring
Divorced couples on the edge...
Of something.

Is it despair?

Is there nothing good to behold?

Is this world hopeless?

Or can I look beyond the darkness
To find light?
To find goodness?
To find...glory?

What is glory?

Something that brings honor
Praise
Renown
But to whom?
Glory brings honor to the one and
only God.
Life eternal
Giver of all good things.

Where is glory?

I DO see glory all around me
Surrounding me
Even when I refuse to look.

A baby's toes,
A heart that grows
More in love everyday.
The orange of a sunset,
The delicateness of a flower,
Even the death of trees in autumn.

In these I see the glory of God

The laughter of children
The beauty of a song
Never heard but newly written
The softness of snow
Close conversations with a friend
Also the warmth of knowing I am
loved.

In these I see the glory of God

Glory transforms darkness
Glory brings light
Hope
Newness

Glory is found among us
If we will just look.

Poem

Read this poem today, and I really liked it.

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.



from And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou.