Jan. 23–29 ❘ Forerunner
Poem and discussion centering on the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry as recorded in Matthew 3:1–12.
Forerunner
You will be the voice of one
crying in the wilderness:
Clear a path for the Lord!
Level a highway through this wasteland!
That is what the angel said to me
as I lay by my sheep in the field.
I had gazed long into heaven
absorbed by God’s operations,
scarcely noticing when stars began to gather
and joined in one brilliant blaze
like frozen lightning.
Don’t be afraid.
Father often told how he fell by the altar,
but I never understood
till my own heart leapt
like a young goat at lion’s roar.
The messenger spoke his piece untroubled,
told me who I would become.
But who am I?
Not one anointed,
not great like Isaiah or Elijah,
not a worker of miracles.
I have not so much as raised a single lamb
from death.
I am only a boy of the desert
who throws shouts across the emptiness
like stones from David’s sling,
warning of snakes and wolves,
looming storms,
wildfires in the underbrush.
To read more of my poetry, visit www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry.
For questions, comments, or concerns, contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com.
To download a copy of today’s poem from BYU Studies Quarterly, click here.
Jan. 16–22 ❘ Logos
Poem and discussion centering on truths about premortal Jesus Christ as recorded in John 1:1–14.
Logos
In the beginning,
God made a family,
pulled us drowning from shadow
into light.
If we could part darkness
now veiling stories first told
before earth was,
we would remember joy,
but also anxious questions
when we learned the path forward
meant some of us would slip
away forever:
What kind of parent sends a child
to certain death?
What unfinished soul wouldn’t pause
to weigh another offer?
How could we comprehend
salvation
in a strange world where night
would always follow day?
So in the beginning,
God gave us His Word—
eternal covenant
to satisfy the infinite
void.
To read more of my poetry, visit www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry.
For questions, comments, or concerns, contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com.
Jan. 9–15 ❘ From the East
Poem and discussion centering on the story of the wise men from the east as recorded in Matthew 2:1–12.
From the East
It almost feels like fate,
and yet I know it isn’t.
Just a chain of choices
long as life itself—
this I say, this not;
this I do, this not;
this I study, ponder,
believe—
until by twists and turns
I arrive here
to gaze upward at a new light
in heaven’s velvet veil,
a tear where God streams through
like lightning from a pinprick
or revelation from a whisper,
calling follow.
It’s another step
in the long progression,
one more choice:
stay a scholar only,
seeking and sorting ancient tales
in dark-paneled, perfumed rooms,
safely conjuring heaven,
ever learning but never knowing
or gather my gifts quickly,
run toward heart-thumping
pull of prophecy,
swing from stirrup to saddle
in a smooth leap,
and leave tonight to follow
the Star.
To read more of my poetry, visit www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry.
For questions, comments, or concerns, contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com.
To order a copy of the Mormon Lit Blitz Anthology, click here.
Jan. 2–8 ❘ Elisabeth
Poem and discussion centering on the story of Elisabeth and Zacharias as recorded in Luke 1:5–25.
Elisabeth
When Zacharias wrote,
God will give us a son,
I laughed within myself
like Sarah,
too brittle to laugh without.
Like Rachel,
I had waded through years,
watched God pour ever more
on the well-watered
as I withered.
Like Hannah,
I had vowed and prayed,
drunk with bitterness,
yet no Eli interrupted
to accuse or bless.
Then suddenly,
like sea split wide by shining path,
like sun and moon stopped still in heaven,
like all earth illuminated as fiery glass,
God gave us a son!
as though to laugh Himself
at time run out and life well-stricken,
to once again prove through me
that nothing is ever too late
for Him.
To read more of my poetry, visit www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry.
For questions, comments, or concerns, contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com.
Dec. 26–Jan. 1 ❘ Invocation
A brief explanation of how episodes will be formatted, plus a preface poem and discussion.
Invocation
My poems
cannot tell a sparrow’s song
or contemplate a petal’s curve.
They cannot roll the earth
or hold the sun
still.
But I breathe beauty and grace.
I weep gratitude for my place.
I stilt and stutter onward
still—
for God has told me:
write.
I will.
To read more of my poetry, visit www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry.
For questions, comments, or concerns, contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com.
Welcome to Follow!
Welcome to Follow: A Latter-day Saint Scripture Poetry Podcast. My name is Merrijane Rice, and I’ll be sharing my poetry with you beginning in January 2023 as we turn our attention to the New Testament for the “Come, Follow Me” study program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
To read more of my poetry, visit www.facebook.com/latterdaysaintpoetry.
For questions, comments, or concerns, contact me at merrijane.rice@gmail.com.