ie:missional teaching. glocalizing. living. serving. repenting. incarnating. loving. repeating.

The late minister and poet Thomas John Carlisle penned a series of poems based on the prophet Jonah, whose story is recorded in the biblical book of the same name. Writing from Jonah’s actions, attitudes and perceptions, this short volume of poems is as insightful as its poems are brief. The book, You! Jonah!, included poems that Carlisle had published in various newspapers and magazines both sacred and secular, as well as previously unpublished poems on the same subject matter. The book was first published in 1968, but has been out of print for 35 years.

Here are four of my favorites:

Coming and Going
The word came
and he went
in the other
direction.

God said: Cry
tears of compassion
tears of repentance;
cry against
the reek
of unrighteousness;
cry for
the right turn
the contrite spirit.

And Jonah rose
and fled
in tearless
silence.

Reprimand to a Naive Deity
I will not advertise
this crazy scheme
of Yours.

God, what a farce
that men should sin and find
escape.

I mean, of course,
not me
but all our mutual

antagonists.
Dear God, kind God, don’t listen
to their prayers.

Sunk
A man overboard
gasping and drowning,
does he actually look
at his own disappearing
identity?

Jonah could see
only an admirable
ambassador of God
sunk by his own
superior
opinions.

Personnel Problem
Jonah cherished chips
on both his shoulders.
He was in the wrong
business. On the accounts
he clamored to handle
he was calculating
to liquidate
the customers.
However, his Employer
computed profits
on another basis
and kept the dynamite
too readily
defusable.