Narrowing Sonnet

At Christmas time, we celebrate the birth of Christ. Christians believe God became human in Jesus. How can we grasp the extent to which God limited Himself in order to become human? Meditating on this is what inspired my poem, “Narrowing Sonnet.”

In this poem, I explore God’s self-limitation through description and imagery but also through meter. Meter is a set rhythm used in traditional forms of poetry, like sonnets. Metered poetry is made up of feet. A metric foot is two syllables. In “Narrowing Sonnet” I emphasize God’s self-limitation by shortening the meter through the course of the poem. I start with tetrameter (four metric feet per line) and end the poem with one metric foot per line.

I hope this poem helps readers appreciate the birth and life of Christ in a fresh way. He was and is the greatest Christmas gift!

Narrowing Sonnet

Could we put oceans in a cup,
a desert in an hour-glass,
the skies in a falling rain-drop,
the planets in a marble-bag,
it wouldn’t touch the Lord,
swaddled in a body,
who also humbly wore
the girdle of our laws,
was threaded through
the streets of Jews,
endured the spit
and then was split
like hairs
of truth.