A Word for Living Creatures

Reflecting on Yusef Komunyakaa’s “Kindness”

Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem “Kindness” opens with the following lines: …..When deeds splay before usprecious as gold & unused chancesstripped from the whine bone,we know the moment kindheartednesswalks in. The five lines evoke a world, one in which there is an “us,” a “we.” This we—perhaps two people, perhaps a large number of people—examines deeds and unused chances, almost appearing as riches…

Alphabet Adventure: X, Y, and Z

Well, hello. Apologies for the monumental delay in finishing Write Right’s Alphabet Adventure. It’s a bit like getting to the end of the alphabet game—the one where you go on a trip and try to name an alphabetical list of animals or fruit or some other entity—and struggling to successfully complete, and win, the game. Alas, no prizes will be awarded to Write Right. (more…)

Favorite Reads of 2021

I debated the title of this article throughout the morning, which is no surprise. I frequently argue with myself about words and punctuation marks. (Is this a sign I’m a writer? Perhaps, perhaps.) Should I say “best” or “favorite”? “Best” implies a standard of quality—one hopes an objective standard, yet the word often falls victim to conceptions of taste rather than quality. Not “best,”…

Alphabet Adventure: W is for Wit

Welcome back to Write Right’s Alphabet Adventure! I apologize for the delay; raising support for a residency, being a resident at The Austin Stone, and starting a new job commandeered my life. But we — I — return with a more-or-less regular installment of the series in hopes of concluding it before the end of 2020.

(more…)

Reflecting on Karina Borowicz’s “September Tomatoes”

Poetry’s strength resides in its words and punctuation. Consider the “still” in Claudia Borowicz’s “September Tomatoes”:

(more…)

Reflecting on Anne Sexton’s “Letter Written on a Ferry”

Anne Sexton’s poem “Letter Written on a Ferry While Crossing Long Island Sound”—which is far too long to include with this brief reflection—begins in the middle of things. The speaker says, “I am surprised to see / that the ocean is still going on.” With that single sentence the speaker alludes to a history not ever fully disclosed to the reader. Hints exist, though, such as the “dearest” to whom…

Reflecting on Claude McKay’s “Subway Wind”

Subway Wind

Far down, down through the city’s great gaunt gut The gray train rushing bears the weary wind; In the packed cars the fans the crowd’s breath cut, Leaving the sick and heavy air behind. And pale-cheeked children seek the upper door To give their summer jackets to the breeze; Their laugh is swallowed in the deafening roar Of captive wind that moans for fields and seas; Seas cooling warm…

Write Rights Finds the Subway Wind

Big Storms, Small Stones | God uses all sorts of things to bring about his purpose, from storms and fish to stones and bread.

The more I tell my residency story, the more I recognize the ways God has worked in and through my life. Perhaps other believers come to the same realization. God works, sometimes with tempests and big fish, to draw me closer to himself and his purpose. Other times, he uses quiet moments, small stones, loaves and, yes, more fish, to direct my mind, heart, and hands toward him and his glory.

(mor…

Give with a Glad Heart | Giving isn't about the amount. Rather, it's about the heart.

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.”

Luke 21:1–4, New American Standard Bible

(more…)

Adventure Time | As I’ve been meeting with people to find partners for my residency, I say, time and time again, “I never thought I’d do something like this. I've been set on an adventure, a quest.”

So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a…

How Can I Pay People Back? | Morning workouts seem to have turned into times of processing and self-directed, gospel-centered counseling. My brain asked, How can I pay people back? God answered, You can't. That's the whole point.

Morning workouts seem to have turned into times of processing and self-directed, gospel-centered counseling. A few weeks ago I wondered, What if I can’t do this [support raising]?

God’s Spirit answered, You can’t. That’s the whole point. I want you to depend on Me, and Me alone.

This week, the question took a different form. My brain asked, How can I pay people back?

(more…)

What if I Can't Do This? | What if I can’t do this? The thought hit mid-workout the other morning. I jerked to a halt, almost like I’d been physically assaulted.

What if I can’t do this?

The thought hit mid-workout the other morning. I jerked to a halt, almost like I’d been physically assaulted.

What if I can’t do this? What if I can’t raise the necessary support for the residency? What if I can’t do this?

(more…)