lirazel | (no subject)

My aunt keeps texting me asking me to contribute to a thing she's doing for one of my cousin's birthdays. The cousin is turning 40 and my aunt is putting together a collection of letters from people in her life--she's essentially asking for us to, like, write about a significant memory involving the cousin or a way she's made a difference in my life. Fine.

The only problem is...I do not know this cousin well enough to write ANYTHING. I have no meaningful memories with her. She's a kind enough person, I don't dislike her, I just don't know her. But I don't want to say no to this request.

Anyway, the only way out of this I can think of is to just share a poem. But I am having trouble finding a poem that will suit. Something about life or friendship or the passage of life or aging (but not too much about aging because she's not old) or something, but it can't offend fairly conservative Christian sensibilities and it has to be accessible to someone who doesn't read much (any? I don't know her, so I don't know!) poetry. Maybe something Mary Oliver-esque, only it would be A++++ if it mentioned God in some way.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

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Malcolm Guite writes good Christian poetry as well...

Thanks for this name! I wasn't familiar with him.

This is probably not what you're looking for, but I went poking around As You Like It (since Rosalind and Celia are cousins) and got:

Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head.
And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything. (II.i.11-17)

(Unfortunately Celia and Rosalind are closer than you and your cousin.)

Also I searched "benediction" at Poetry Foundation and got this poem.

Lol!

You can count on Shakespeare for good cousin stuff!

I like that poem (I'm very taken with "love to nest in your side") but it's not quite what I'm looking for either.

I see you've already come up with a solution, but this reminds me so much of the days when I worked in a greeting card store, and was surprised by how many customers came in asking for help because they were obligated to get a card for someone they either did not know anything about or did not like. At least you don't actively dislike her because those ones were way harder!

Oh yikes! Yeah...I would not have thought of that myself, but now that you mention it, I can totally see how that's a common dynamic. Lots of in-laws and coworkers, I assume.

At least you don't actively dislike her because those ones were way harder!

True!

Unfortunately the only thing coming to mind about Christian + God poem is Eliot's Ash-Wednesday which is, uh, a good poem but one I doubt is relevant.

So! My generic go-to good-poet-generic-poem is Robert Frost. The Road Not Taken is a classic for a reason, and that would work great if she's got a career path that isn't, like, corporate America. I have opinions on this poem and how it is used but it still remains a great poem. Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening is also great, and thematic for the time of year if she lives in a place with snow.

Haha, yes, it's a great poem but not exactly relevant!

Frost is wonderful! But she is both a corporate lawyer AND lives in Malibu! Lol! However, I just wrote a poem of my own, so no worries!

I don't know if this would work? It's a sonnet I wrote a while back for a friend who found love later in life. I've modified it so it hints at a relationship with faith more than with a person. Anyway, feel free to use it if you want. Or not!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11jHpeVcF3v1VgjJtfvRXU1CGdugbelcH

I wrote one of my own, but I love yours! Thank you so very much for sharing it with me!