The Darnedest
Thing!
(A Couple of Whoppers
at the Capernaum Docks…Post Resurrection of Jesus)
O. Kris Widmer
February 19, 2016
15 Phrase Poetry
Prompt Activity…Creating Poetry With Stephanie Haddad
She wrote on the
great catch of fish from the Holy Bible.
I will do the same.
I used 14 of 15
phrases in the prompt. Indicated in Bold Type
The only line not
worked into this poem was “broken dimmer switch.”
Once I was a skeptic, but no more.
It’s the darnedest thing.
See this here “bill of sale?”
The paper tore long
ago on this paperwork
from the Cannery. I
put it right here, with the other receipts;
under this rock, on this here seat
of this ol’ creaky yellow
boat. Then it faded completely -
See? It once had the
total number, the total weight
and the total value - all unreadable now,
blurred from 3 years plus of daily radiance from above.
The proprietor used illegible
writing anyway.
“I used these hands and these biceps
to throw this net into
the sea.
This lake. Swish. The padding on
these seats has long since worn away
leaving just these hard, weathered planks
on which to sit, kneel or stand.
We have also
struggled with significant leaks.
“Nope. Nope…
That moment will never be forgotten –
not by Andrew, John or James,
or me,
or anyone in the whole of Galilee!
“The night of futile fishing.
Napping in shifts, curled up on these frayed carpet fibers.
Him on the beach in the morning.
“Have you caught anything?”
“Throw out on the other side.”
The flipping and flapping of those fins.
‘We’ve got fish!’
Then we screamed
for mutual aid
from the boats of the rest of the fleet.
They came, but not
soon enough.
“Lots of fish, I tell you.
Big fish! More than
153, that’s for sure!
Such a happy problem!
The darnedest thing!
I jumped out of the boat towards him.
Squish. The pudding of the muddy shore
recording my footprints.
‘Depart from me…for I am a sinful man.”
Weeks later, when the Rabbi returned to town,
All He did was speak words, and
my wife’s mother’s fever
eased somewhat.
O.K., it eased completely, immediately.
The darnedest thing!
“Say, did I ever tell you the one about my roof?
The darnedest thing!
“Remember that guy that for years and years
was seen in town limping,
but then we didn’t
see him for the longest time?
Well, there was that time
when The Master was at my place.
Gimpy’s friends brought him, tearing off my roof,
and smashing my oil lamps.
I shouted ‘power
failure…again!’
But then, some words from The Word
sent him skipping away from my door -
forgiven and free.
The darnedest thing!
I’m tellin’ ya this -
in the final moments
of my life,
as a fisher of fish and
a fisher of men,
I’m just gonna smile.
I believe in the Christ, the son of the living God.
It’s the darnedest thing!
Poetry
Challenge - Poetry Prompt
February
2016
by
O. Kris Widmer
For
Stephanie Haddad and Myself
Incorporate
one phrase from each section into a poem.
Extra
Creativity: use two or more phrases.
Must
use the words and punctuation precisely as listed on this sheet.
First
Phrase
1.
illegible writing
2.
swish. The padding
3.
squish. The pudding
4.
the paper tore
5.
yellow boat. Then it
Second Phrase
1.
power failure…again!
2.
fish! Then we
3.
fever eased somewhat
4.
have also struggled with
5.
the final moments
Third
Phrase
1.
into the sea
2.
limping, but then
3.
frayed carpet fibers
4.
broken dimmer switch
5.
not soon enough
