See more Spiritual Thursday posts at Donna’s site, Mainly Write.
Donna is gathering our Spiritual Journey First Thursday posts at her blog. Donna recently moved, so she chose “Home” as our topic for today.
We often look to our church as a spiritual home. But is this the only place where God lives? Like the saying “Home is where the heart is,” God is where the heart is, too. Just because you may not have a place to worship, God’s presence does not leave you. God is in my mind…always.
I also believe that God is in my poetry. Wherever I am, the world opens and reveals poems. This week is only the first week of February, but the temperatures have climbed above 70 degrees, and the Japanese magnolias are blooming. On my early morning walk, I pass a lonely tree in a vacant lot. It’s obviously not trimmed or cared for and in many ways looks like it’s dead, but not this week. So I wrote a poem about it. Of course.
The first stanza is a direct quote from The Time is Now, a weekly writing prompt from Poets and Writers.
A Day on Saturn
A day on Saturn
lasts a total of ten hours,
thirty-three minutes,
and thirty-eight seconds,
according to the Astrophysical Journal.When I pass the Japanese magnolia,
I think it must be dying.
Lichen clusters on its branches;
a hollowed trunk carved like a cave
invites infesting insects.And yet, there they are
in the middle of winter, pink
blossom buds
point to the sky
spot Saturnlike an astrolabe
aligns the planets,
from a leafless displaybalancing a day.
–Margaret Simon, all rights reserved
Reflections on the Teche 
I love this poem. And, I love “home” as a topic. This sparked a memory in me. When I moved over seas, I was far from a church denomination familiar to me. And, I really felt that I had left God at “home” where I was from. I knew it was silly and did some internal work about my beliefs and realities. It was important work. And, much of that work shows up in my writing. Thanks for this post.
So lovely!
haitiruth is me, Ruth, at https://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/
🙂
This is so lovely, Margaret — I can see the astrolabe! And here’s something funny: I first read the word “leafless” as “fearless,” which might be the same thing. 🙂 Thank you for sharing! xo
So nice, Ruth. I love that image of the magnolia blossoms aligning the planets. Yes, I agree. God is in your poetry. Thank you for sharing.
Sorry, Margaret. I know this is you and not Ruth!
Margaret, I find it so interesting that you led with an information text. The poem flowed from that stanza to the last line that leads me to believe that the Lord is part of the balancing act. I never thought of God being in my poetry and writing but it certainly makes sense because I believe He is centering my life. Thank you for sharing that thought.
Margaret: Thank you for sharing your insights and poems. I appreciate them both, and send you my best wishes.
Oh yes! We get have magnolias here too, and sometimes they bloom early. One year (the year Vancouver had the Olympics) on our visit to that sporting event in mid-February, I took a photo of blooming magnolias! They’re not usually so early here and 70 sounds wonderful compared to the -8 C we’re expecting tonight. I love how you linked this event with space and a day on Saturn. Lovely post!
What a beautiful vivid description of the magnolia! Wow, they are a truly amazing plant. Love how you zoomed in on the leafless display. I did not even notice that until you said it.