Poetry Thursday: "When I Run Away to Theology School"

It's the time of year when some school programs start; I'm thinking specifically of some programs that train people to be spiritual directors--in fact, I've thought about these programs on and off for a long time. 

A few years ago at Mepkin Abbey, one of my friends said, "You've been talking about being a spiritual director for a long time.  Maybe you should look into that more deeply."

I thought about starting this year, but this year is the year of an accreditation visit, so I couldn't be sure that I could get to the schools I'm considering for the 2 weeks required onsite.  However, I've been increasingly aware of a determination to start in 2020.  I am not getting any younger, and while I'm not sure how I'll use the credential, I'm sure that I'll enjoy the process of getting it.

And it's much cheaper than seminary.  But let me confess that I'm not ruling out seminary.

These January thoughts have made me return to a poem that I wrote.  It was recently published in TAB: The Journal of Poetry & Poetics.  If you want to hear me read it, go here.



When I Run Away to Theology School



When I run away to theology school,
I shall think no more of mortgages and insurance rates.
Sea level rise will recede to the backwaters
of my consciousness. I will eat
whatever is served to me, and I will fall
asleep at a regular hour.

When I run away to theology school,
I will turn off the news. I will submerge
myself in books from an earlier age.
I will abandon the controversies
of our current time to lose myself
in arcane arguments of past heresies.

When I run away to theology school,
I will pray more regularly. I will spend
more time in the chapel. I will write liturgies
and construct worship spaces to match.

When I run away to theology school,
I will finally structure my life in a way
that makes sense. I will strip
my life to its barest essentials.
All will be revealed
when I run away to theology school.