On Sunday, I was struck by this reading that was part of the daily lectionary, Psalm 102: 6-7: "I have become like a vulture in the wilderness, like an owl among the ruins. I lie awake and groan; I am like a sparrow, lonely on a house-top." The reading has inspired me throughout the week as I worked on this sketch:
I was using Phyllis Tickle's The Divine Hours, which uses The New Jerusalem Bible. I looked up some other translations, but I really liked the words I first read. The poet in me really loved the language and the imagery: an owl among the ruins--not just any bird or animal, but an owl. One translation, the Message, uses crow, not owl. In some translations, the sparrow is solitary, which feels different than lonely. Likewise, a mournful sparrow is different than a lonely sparrow.
I rarely wish that I knew Greek or Hebrew or other ancient languages, but now I do. That word choice, particularly with the sparrow, fascinates me.
On Sunday, I knew that I wanted to do a more complicated sketch, so I made some notes and initial sketches:
As I've sketched, I've wondered why that passage spoke to me. I haven't been aware of being in a desolate state. In day to day life, I haven't felt like I'm lonely or abandoned or in the midst of ruins; many parts of my day to day life in March of 2021 are similar to what they were in other years. As I've returned to the words and the sketch, I've realized that it's a the perfect passage for this week of pandemic year anniversaries.
In many ways, we are all that lonely sparrow. We're on a roof, so we can see other vistas. We're not sparrows locked in the bathroom or basement. We have wings, so we could fly. But we're also in the ruins, which makes it hard to plot an escape. Many of us are so committed to the ruins that we can't imagine another way.
I continue to hope that we will emerge from the ruins to create a better society. That will be the subject for a different sketch.
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