Freedom in Christ – A Poem
Two months ago I wrote my first pantoum poem. I learned about how to write this form of poem at the dVerse Poets Pub. The other morning I was thinking about what to write for my Thankful Thursday poem for this week and this wonderful form came to mind. Because tomorrow is Veterans’ Day here in the U.S., I knew I wanted to write a poem about freedom. Not just about the political and social freedom that we enjoy in this country, but about the spiritual freedom that is available to all through Christ, even if they are not fortunate enough to live in a country where they are free to believe in Him without fear of persecution.
Freedom in Christ
Freedom in Christ transcends all
Stephen was stoned, his soul was free
His is a faith I honestly seek
When the Son sets you free you are free
Stephen was stoned, his soul was free
Paul was in chains, his joy was complete
When the Son set them free they were free
The love of the Redeemer breaks chains
Paul was in chains, his joy was complete
Wurmbrand was tortured, his captors he loved
The love of the Redeemer breaks chains
With a power only hope comprehends
Wurmbrand was tortured, his captors he loved
Youcef is imprisoned, his faith is strong
With a power only hope comprehends
The Spirit dwelling within overcomes
Youcef is imprisoned, his faith is strong
His is a faith I honestly seek
The Spirit dwelling within overcomes
Freedom in Christ transcends all
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:34-36 (NIV).
Update 8/2/12: The Pantoum is once again the subject of Form For All at dVerse Poets Pub, with a call to write and link a pantoum. I don’t have time today to write a new one, but decided to share this one that I wrote several months ago. Samuel Peralta shared his own very good pantoum about Michael Jackson and I’m sure there are others linked from Mr. Linky.
Share this:
Very nice, this piece fits to form and shares so many actual accounts. I really like, “the Spirit dwelling within overcomes”. Lovely, Linda.
The form woks like a litany for you; well done. k.
I absolutely love the way you used the form to highlight the martyred sufferings that culminate in salvation. The way you worked the form so that the first two lines in the main quatrains reflect a martyrdom, and the second two lines reflect a redemption. That shows a good instinct for the melodic line. Well done.
Thanks for the inspiration. Just what I needed to hear. Loved your sincere voice in this.
very nicely done to form…i love how you brought out all that they suffered but through it held faiht…was just talking with someone the other day how the message seems to spread all the more in those moments of persecution…
I had thought the form was best suited for sad subjects, but now that I see your poem, I realize it works quite well for a Christian poem as well. The repetition reinforces the belief and the stories/symbols. Showing how twisted my modern mind is, I initially had a more hippy interpretation of “Stephen was stoned” (oops).
Thanks. I have found that this form works well for Christian poetry – both happy and sad. And thanks for the laugh. I suppose some might argue that Stephen must have been stoned – in the hippy sense of the word – because he saw the clouds open up and reveal the throne of God in heaven. But I’m glad you realized that wasn’t what I meant. 🙂 Peace, Linda
I truly am impressed with how you worked your beliefs into the Pantoum. Not easy, but you achieved it well.
Thank you! I absolutely love this form. The repetition allows for parallels between different aspects of a subject, as here I was able to draw parallels between the different heroes of the Christian faith. Peace, Linda
really nice work on the pantoum linda…and i love the examples you bring…stephen and paul.. def. two of my heroes… i would like to add joseph who was sold into egypt and though in bonds and enslaved he was more free than those that surrounded him..very nicely done
Claudia, You are right – Joseph would have been the perfect Old Testament example. Freedom is definitely a state of the mind and soul more so than of the body. Peace, Linda
Linda, Linda, Linda. . .I loved it, loved it , loved it! You did a wonderful job with this form and with the message too!! Yay! I’m cheering Jesus and you. God bless you!
Deb, This is another one of those that came to me during my morning prayers, at least the idea and form. It was such a fun one to write. 🙂 Peace, Linda