you glow, we take fire

You Glow, We Take Fire (Stacy Wills, 2012)

you talk, we act.

you learn, we seize.

you inspect, we choose.

you chew, we swallow.

you bargain, we buy.

you glow, we take fire.

you assume, we know.

you ask, we take.

you search, we find.

you love, we languish.

you languish, we die.

you sow, we reap.

you work, we rest.

you grow thin, we grow fat.

you ring, we sing.

you sing, we dance.

you blossom, we bear fruit.

you taste, we savor.

-composed by a young beguine,* name unknown,

in response to criticism from a master of theology.

*the beguines were a christian lay religious community most active during the 13th and 14th centuries, comprised of women who dedicated their lives to jesus.  semi-monastic in nature, they took no formal vows, but lived out their lives in prayer, personal spiritual development, caring for the poor and other acts of charity.

a fish cannot drown in water

Healing Mandorla (Stacy Wills, 2012)

a fish cannot drown in water,

a bird does not fall in air.

in the fire of creation,

god doesn't vanish:

the fire brightens.

each creature god made

must live in its own true nature;

how could i resist my nature,

that lives for oneness with god?

-mechthild of magdeburg (1207 - 1282)