FEATURED: The Shape of Mountains and Other Poems
by Kate Lab
THE SHAPE OF MOUNTAINS
The mountains
By their shape,
Like arrows,
Point to their Maker.
And the trees in same vein
Stretch to the heavens.
Higher,
Higher,
Higher.
Still, they cannot touch you or your glory
Your total otherness.
With awe and wonder,
I sit in your creation.
So many variations,
Colors, and textures.
And my eyes consume
only a small taste
Of one space and time
In your creative history.
Both the small and the grand astound me.
The century old trees and their new spring leaves.
Both the majestic and mundane reflect your GREATNESS.
The roaring waterfalls and rolling farms
Show your care, your creativity, your order.
You contain and limit the elements in elegance:
The sky, the sea, the earth, the sun, the stars.
All of them, your creative order, whisper and shout:
“Look at my maker!
See the one who is greater
than all this.”
I will glory in these gifts.
But even more so,
I will glory in the Giver.
Who today designed
these fragile flowers
for my eyes to feast on.
TASTE AND SEE
We are more than flesh and blood.
What we feel is more than chemical reaction.
These sights, sounds, scents, tastes, and touches
Are beautiful because
They reflect true beauty.
God, You are beautiful.
You are good.
This attraction to what is good,
Beautiful, real, right, and true,
Is an attraction to You.
Thank You for these small tastes
Of Your glory.
When we see the work of Your hands
In the mountains, the rivers,
The cosmos, and the crown
Of creation, man.
From solar systems to DNA strands,
You are there.
Creating, sustaining, redeeming,
Showing us the meaning of
glory. Showing us
What is beautiful.
So, when our brains flood with dopamine,
As our senses grasp at Your reflected beauty,
As we hear the unfettered laugh of a loved child,
As we eat good food, as we are
Astounded by the size of the ocean
And the height of the ancient trees,
All the while,
It is You we are drawn too.
It is You, these
miraculous “natural” systems
Point to.
Any flourishing
Human relationship
tells the story
Of You.
Anything Good and Perfect
And Right and True
Is from You
And of You.
You. You. You.
Someday we will feast
For an eternity on Your GLORY.
Until then, thank You for these tastes,
these moments of relief from a broken
but still beautiful
world.
A YEARLY CONVERSATION
I am walking.
I am waiting
For the world’s waking.
For the movement and breath
Of life
After the earth’s hibernating.
Here it is:
The fall and rise,
The bird’s song, the colors bright,
The dug-up dirt, roots in earth
Wake up and stretch –
Reaching for
The skies.
A resounding reply—
To Death’s now
Unfinal
Word.
KATE LAB
Kate Lab is a poet and artist based in Lancaster, PA. She is the founder of Kate Creates, where she publishes original art and poetic work, lament and grief cards, and poetic devotionals and studies. Kate graduated from Moody Bible Institute with her BA in Biblical Theology. She is the wife of Joe, who pastors a small church in Lancaster, and the mom to two precious children, Ethan and Eliza. Kate started writing poetic prayers to process the pain and grief of a broken world with the security and hope of a good and powerful God who will redeem it.
Kate is passionate about incorporating art, creativity, and beauty into Bible study. She has authored Advent, Lent, and Easter Week studies with her companion artwork, poetry, and original music by her twin sister, singer-songwriter Sarah Sparks. Kate’s poetry has been featured through several online platforms like Risen Motherhood and Well-Watered Women. She aims to make modern and accessible poetry that shows the universal experiences of life in a sin-stained world with the hope of salvation and redemption through Jesus.