Theology for Worship

I was honored to be asked to write another poem for the Heidelblog, this time for Easter. This was my first time writing a villanelle, a form I found to be challenging and purposeful. I love the way the form builds tension through repetition, resolving as the first and third line finally meet as the final couplet. I’d love to hear your thoughts about the poem in the comments. It was originally published here, and I’ll include the poem below as well. I hope you enjoy!

Take Me to the Tomb

When all hope is smothered by dark despair,
And shadows have swallowed the last of my light,
Then take me to the tomb and leave me there;

To sit in somber silence and to stare,
To search for a sacred sign in the night,
When all hope is smothered by dark despair;

And my chest constricts as I gasp for air,
Desperate for my faith to become sight,
Then take me to the tomb and leave me there;

Weeping and wounded in need of repair,
A bird with no song, no feathers, no flight.
When all hope is smothered by dark despair,

It is the one place for respite and care.
When I no longer have strength for the fight,
Then take me to the tomb and leave me there.

Into its void I will cast my prayer,
For the man who is missing knows my plight.
When all hope is smothered by dark despair,
Then take me to the tomb and leave me there.¹

NOTES

1. The line, “take me to the tomb and leave me there,” is adapted from a prayer in The Valley of Vision. The prayer entitled Man A Nothing, ends with the line, “then take me to the cross and leave me there.” I loved the sound and feel of that line, but as I was writing an Easter poem, I wanted to focus on the empty tomb instead of the cross. See Arthur Bennett ed., The Valley of Vision (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975), 167.