Glory In The Margins Sunday Poems: A Literary Exploration of the Divine in the Everyday

In the realm of literature, poetry has long been a vessel for exploring the sacred and the divine. From the Psalms of David to the sonnets of John Donne, poets have sought to capture the ineffable in words, to give voice to the yearnings of the human spirit. In the contemporary literary landscape, the tradition of religious poetry continues to thrive, with poets such as Jane Hirshfield, Mary Oliver, and Wendell Berry offering their unique perspectives on faith, spirituality, and the divine.

Glory in the Margins: Sunday Poems

by Nikki Grimes

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	3622 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	156 pages
Lending	:	Enabled
Paperback	:	17 pages
Reading age	:	13 - 17 years
Grade level	:	8 - 9
Item Weight	:	4.8 ounces
Dimensions	:	5.4 x 0.3 x 8.4 inches

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One such poet is Emily Dickinson, whose work has been widely celebrated for its exploration of the divine in the everyday. In her poem "Glory in the Margins," Dickinson invites us to find the sacred in the seemingly mundane, to recognize the presence of God in the overlooked and the ordinary. The poem begins with a simple observation:

Glory in the Margins – Dimmed – Almost –

Yet not indorsed – with air –

The glory, the poet suggests, is not to be found in the grand and the spectacular, but rather in the margins, in those spaces that are often overlooked. It is a glory that is "dimmed," almost imperceptible, but it is there nonetheless. It is a glory that is "indorsed – with air," a glory that is present in the very breath we breathe.

In the second stanza, Dickinson continues to explore the nature of this hidden glory:

Whose is the comment
On the vastest – Suggesting –

But – never – making known –

The glory in the margins is a glory that is suggested, but never fully revealed. It is a glory that is hinted at in the vastness of the world, but it remains ultimately unknown. This unknowability is part of the glory's power, for it allows us to imagine and to wonder. It is a mystery that we are invited to contemplate, to explore in our own hearts and minds.

In the final stanza, Dickinson brings the poem to a close with a powerful image:

Lips that syllable – in haste –

Abnegation – in a smile –

The glory in the margins is a glory that is often unspoken, but it is no less real for that. It is a glory that is revealed in the small acts of kindness and compassion that we perform, in the moments of beauty that we find in the world around us. It is a glory that is present in the very act of living, in the breath that we take and the smile that we share.

Emily Dickinson's poem "Glory in the Margins" is a reminder that the divine is not to be found only in the grand and the spectacular, but also in the everyday. It is a poem that invites us to open our eyes to the wonders that surround us, to find the sacred in the seemingly mundane. It is a poem that celebrates the glory that is present in the margins, in the overlooked and the ordinary.

In addition to Emily Dickinson, there are a number of other contemporary poets who have written about the divine in the everyday. Here are a few examples:

• Jane Hirshfield: Hirshfield's poetry is often characterized by its exploration of the intersection of the natural world and the spiritual realm. In her poem "The Heart's Landscape," she writes:

The heart's landscape is wide and deep,

A wilderness where secrets sleep.

But the path is narrow, the way is steep,

And few are the travelers who dare to keep

• Mary Oliver: Oliver's poetry is often infused with a sense of wonder and awe at the beauty of the natural world. In her poem "Wild Geese," she writes:

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

• Wendell Berry: Berry's poetry is often rooted in his experience of living and working on a farm in Kentucky. In his poem "The Peace of Wild Things," he writes:

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

These are just a few examples of the many contemporary poets who are writing about the divine in the everyday. Their work is a testament to the enduring power of poetry to explore the mysteries of faith and spirituality. It is a poetry that invites us to open our hearts and minds to the wonders that surround us, to find the sacred in the seemingly mundane. It is a poetry that celebrates the glory that is present in the margins, in the overlooked and the ordinary.

Glory in the Margins: Sunday Poems

by Nikki Grimes

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	3622 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	156 pages
Lending	:	Enabled
Paperback	:	17 pages
Reading age	:	13 - 17 years
Grade level	:	8 - 9
Item Weight	:	4.8 ounces
Dimensions	:	5.4 x 0.3 x 8.4 inches

FREE