Ish-ra-el's Reply

[Jimmy O'Connell]

Ish-ra-el’s Reply

To journey to Peniel you must first
cross a river, step into the arid
sands and stay where scorpions sting.

There you must wait for the man
to come. If he arrives he may
taunt you into a confrontation

that you must not avoid and
you must not be overcome, even
after you have been maimed.

This man will then sue for peace but
still you must not let go until
you demand, and have been granted,

a blessing. There is a story told
by those who never have journeyed
that Peniel does not exist.

There is truth in what they say.
For they have not met the man nor
been maimed on the plains of Peniel.

[jill]

Profound.
great imagery
and conclusion.

Wish I read the Bible.

Jill

[Red Poppy]

It's never too late, jill!

[Boss]

Jimmy,
Peniel exists
on my sofa
under an old blanket
it is there
in my back yard
down the street
at the bookshop
Surely,
Peniel exists

Ah but it is
only a man of
desperation
a frazzled man
burnt, broken
overcome
who has eyes
as clear as Visene
and ears as deaf
as the trumpet,
who knows

Thanks,
Boss

[mat james]

but it is
only a man of
desperation
a frazzled man
burnt, broken
overcome
who has eyes
as clear as Visene
and ears as deaf
as the trumpet,
who knows

Boss

Who knows who knows?
It sounds like Jimmy has wrestled with his daemon and glimpsed "the face of God".

Did you see me in those eyes Jimmy?
What did I (I AM) look like ?

Nice work Jimmy !

as deaf
as the trumpet,
who knows

Is that your line Boss? What a spinning and spiraling paradox Are you quoting someone or is that your own moment of genius?
(Mind you, I would remove the comma, it spins better!)
Matj

[Jimmy O'Connell]

Boss

Ah but it is
only a man of
desperation
a frazzled man
burnt, broken
overcome
who has eyes
as clear as Visene
and ears as deaf
as the trumpet,
who knows

We are saying more or less the same thing, Boss...

Matj and Boss, thanks for your reflections.
This poem came to me as I reflected on the relationship I have with clients, mostly adolescents, who are in trouble, troubled, or who are slipping into dependency/addiction. There comes a point in the process between us, that I hope and pray that they have a 'Jacob' experience; in other words, that they fight with their inner selves and meet the man who will tame them, or break them in. I can only point them towards Peniel, I can't fight for them. I can encourage them to confront 'the man', I can't be the man that 'maims' them.
For boys especially, but for girls as well, I'm sure, it is important that they meet the man who will make a Man of them.

[jimbo]

Nice poem jimmy,might meet iu in Dublin
going on the Sat

[Jimmy O'Connell]

See you there, jimbo... no doubt the Lennie-Irish&International Brigade will be meeting beforehand at some wateringhole nearby...

[jill]

The twelve step equivalent to Jacob's wrestling with the man is "hitting bottom", but Jimmy puts it so much more poignantly.
So much poetry and art work have biblical references.
Mankind has wrecked havoc in the name of the God , but the Bible obviously inspires good works, gives solace and sparks creativity. The 11th grade reading list includes the Bible as literature. I plan to put it on my reading list, too.

Jill

[mat james]

Jill,
someone wrote this to me recently and I thought you may like to hunt down a similar book?

I actually bought a book on the weekend called The Bible (not the original!) which is like a biography of the Bible - its history, the various sources of the Books, how it has been interpreted over time, and how it's only fairly recently that people have been taking it as a factual account. I haven't started reading it yet, but it sounds interesting. Given that I know very little about the Bible, it might go completely over my head though, we'll see.

They probably have books like this on every religion, which would also be worth a read.

Matj

[Jimmy O'Connell]

The book is called: "The Bible, The Biography" by Karen Armstrong.

Jimmy

[Boss]

Jill,

You don't need a bible. Read any nursery rhyme, a sport's column, or poem. Here you will find the heroes and heroines, here you will find compassion and zeal, here you will find Love. The world is a rich tapestry of G-d's handiwork - you know it everywhere. Samson and Delilah do it on the screen each night, so do Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah etc. Listen to a violin, really listen to a Perlman, and you will hear David playing to 'please the Lord'; maybe the Song of Songs. Every soul is tempted by evil - just as Jesus was tempted in the desert. All of us know of good. I think the whole point of living is to 'bend' toward Love as much as possible. Schopenhauer describes this somewhere. All of us are animals. We have elemental needs. But there is something properly Human; properly Holy. It lives in us all. You know it when you visit a synagogue, a mosque, a church. But you also know it watching the sun come up over an apricot tree that's losing its leaves. You can find it on those eager faces on Big Brother. You see it in a blood red rose.

As mat alluded to, there are other holy books - the Qu'ran, the Gita and so on. They too tell of the adventure, the trial that is Life. G-d is not a one-dimensional despot, he caters for every soul. And each of has his own path, his own unique destiny.

If you have, or know, a dog or a cat, tickle their belly. It is here you may find G-d in more abundance than some book that so many Men have died for. In essence, there is no Catholic or Protestant, no Jew or Muslim, no Hindu or Buddhist. We are all on the one ship sailing through an illusion called Time. We are born, we pass away. That is the way of it. There is no question. Things just are.

I pray you find peace,
Adam

[William]

Adam suggest that "If you have, or know, a dog or a cat, tickle their belly."

Jill,
Ideally, the animal should still be alive.
God bless, William

[mat james]

Thanks Jimmy.
And, be that as it may, Adam; it (Karen's book) still sounds like a good read/intro to someone who wants to understand their culture.

[Boss]

mat,

ok, ok, it is an important book
i made a mistake
i started writing at 6.45 am
while i agree with some of my thoughts
i disagree with the 'gist'

i don't read the bible often
not often at all
i don't know the order of Pentateuch
or who authored Acts
maybe i should, i don't know

i believe in G-d
He is enough...

Boss