Living amidst the ruins

 

For Scotland I sing,

the Knox-ruined nation

that poet and saint

must rebuild with their passion

George Mackay Brown "Prologue"

I am not a saint

although there is the odd day

when I dare to call myself a poet

I am, nonetheless, all too familiar

with those broken down ramparts

that hold fast

to delusions of grandeur

and that survive all attempts

at structural dismantling

There is something in the soil

and in the water

some basic instinct 

that hoards the myths 

and jewels of religiosity

as toys for menfolk

that employs

the pointy elbows of unwitting accomplices

to repel invaders

who dare to enter the arena

and pollute

with their softness and compassion

and even steely persistence

the savage wars of status and entitlement

An unspoken claim

on the soul of a nation

that corrupts and defiles

and is perpetuated

like so many rites of passage.

And yet

Even as I dream of dismantling 

and rebuilding, 

I wonder

Is it even possible to imagine

an alternative nation

that cries FREEDOM!

not only for some

but for all?

Can the unicorn be released 

from the rubble of patriarchy

to stand proud

as a symbol

for all that is unique

and unfettered 

and otherworldly

and free?

(Liz Crumlish Oct 2024)

Non binary

I cry myself

Portfolio Priest

And, as I live with this

self proclaimed handle,

I realise

it comes from all those years

I was told

You have to choose

You have to be one thing 

or the other 

Those years when my vocation

was questioned

by a patriarchy

that knew not how

to re-imagine priesthood

A patriarchy that sought to weed out

and punish by exclusion 

all who were different

And I know now

as I knew then

My vocation is non binary

not this or that

but a kaleidoscope of bits and pieces

of many shapes and hues

tumbling together

And I recognise

my privilege

that allows me to claim my identity

An identity that embraces the possibility

of more than one thing being true

at the same time

and to call it fabulous

A woman possessed - of passion, perception and persistence

 

John 20:18

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Mary Magdalene

A woman of strength

a woman of faith

A follower and a leader

who bore witness to the resurrection.

Labelling her as “a woman of ill repute”

suited the narrative of the men

threatened by her insight

who couldn’t live with the notion

that she was a prophet who recognised the Messiah

Labelling her as “possessed”

allowed the patriarchy to dismiss her charisma

and her ability to witness to truth and to power

with her gifts of passion, perception and persistence.

And, when it seems that little has changed

with the passage of time

when strong women and their leadership

is played down, dismissed, undermined

still we continue to do what we do

and to be who we are called to be

women called and ordained

to bear the good news 

birthing life in all its fullness.

A woman’s laughter

 Genesis 18:9-12

They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?”

Why did Sarah laugh?

NOT - as some would have us believe

because she lacked faith

NOR out of the sheer joy at the prospect

of resurrecting her beloved’s sexual prowess

(she believed in miracles after all)

Not even at the absurdity of being 90 and pregnant!

Sarah laughed

because all through this patriarchal narrative

when she was moved from pillar to post

continually used and abused

her body touted as a guaranty and token

at the whim of men playing power games

it was hilarious that her body

should call their bluff

carrying within it

the seed of a nation

Sarah laughed as a warning:

Be careful what you wish for

A woman’s body

will not be diminished

will not succumb

to the flagrant disregard of men

and their games of submission

or dominion 

but will rise up

confounding scheming plans

returning with laughter

bone shaking laughter

Of course Sarah laughed!