A Poet’s Dilemma – Word and Action

I am torn between writing and taking action. For the poet, the two are not supposed to be separable, but it is so difficult—perhaps impossible for human beings—to keep the two together. On the one hand it takes reflexion and discipline to observe and to write well. Communication is an art but it requires subject and object as much as skill. Aligning these three stars is sometimes a battle. It’s a little like trying to find a good cup of coffee in America. It’s not impossible, but it’s very, very difficult.

On the other hand, there is never a lack of things to do for someone who is action-oriented. These acts, whatever they are, are potential distractors from the art of writing. So, we find ourselves speaking in terms of two arts:  that of Writing and that of Acting. Many may begin with a desire to integrate the two, but they end up compromising in one of the following ways. Some choose to write in order to inspire others to action. Others choose to live a life of action that is as poetically charged as possible, finding inspiration in the poetry of others. Although each of these is a worthy occupation for some, the true poet recognizes in them the jingle of compromise. Desiring to live a life that does not yield to compromise, I find both of the aforementioned options untenable.

In the life of the poet, the art of Writing and the art of Acting ideally find their integration in the art of Being. But being what? That is the question that haunts me presently. For years, I have said, “being a poet” and soothed my concience by adding that a poet “sees things in a particular light of understanding and nuance,” but I know this is as empty a definition for life’s calling as it is a truthful characteristic of a poet.

I think I have found a way forward, though it is shrouded in mystery. The opening of the Gospel of John provides some instructive corrections to a solely human perspective. John describes Jesus as the Word of God, but strongly identifies him with God’s creative speech in Genesis 1-2. The continual refrain of “And God said…” is to be understood, in John’s framework, as a reference to Jesus. Not that Jesus was the speaker, but that he was the speech and the action perfectly integrated. God spoke and it was. His Word created from nothing the things he spoke into being. To be sure, this is a great mystery which we cannot fully understand. Perhaps some reflexion on this mystery will cast some light on the poet’s dilemma.

Poets sometimes claim that their words are creative forces which bring into being something that was not previously in existence. I think this claim is empty, but the desire behind the hope (or delusion) is full of meaning. I would like, sometimes, to think that the words I write or speak have the power to conjure up some thought or image or action ex-nihilo (out of nothing). But I believe, having attempted it with earnest faith, such hope is in vain. I think that the best a poet, or any artist for that matter, can do is to reorder what already exists. We can present reality in ways that seem fresh or provoke a sense of wonder, but we work with a created order that exists beyond our ability to re-create it. We can at best shape it or present it in a different light.

It is not the same for God. He is able to create ex-nihilo. Jesus, in particular, as the Word of God is ultimately not a book. He is a person of the Trinity with whom we can come into relationship. The Bible, often called the Word of God, is like a light cast upon the true Word, Jesus. It accurately reflects the true Word and as such is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12-13).

The writer of Hebrews actually seems to have Jesus in mind when he speaks of the Word of God. Yet, many of us refer to these verses solely in reference to the inked words in our contemporary translations of the Bible. If we follow Jesus, should we not expect to be able to accomplish the same marriage of word and action that he does? The simple answer seems to be, ‘No’. But can we learn something from this reality that will address the dilemma?

Read the next installment coming soon…