Mrs. NOAH
I do not know your given name,
never heard a sermon about you,
certainly you deserve great credit, too,
and should have a portrait in halls of fame.
I’d paint you with a fine brush,
gray hair springing ‘round an ever-young face,
parchment skin like antique lace,
satisfied smile, hearing heaven’s hush.
You saw a world we never knew,
where people lived for centuries,
until rebellious man called down God’s fury
and the flood swept over all you knew.
It’s said, your husband walked with God.
Did you ever question his decision to build a boat,
Suggest instead new kitchen cupboards,
Counter that the only water was misty fog?
Or had you learned the secrets of trust
through long, fruitful years of marriage?
So you held your head high, with courage
When neighbors jeered and kicked dust,
laughed when the animals came, too.
Zebras, giraffes and kangaroos, bear,
chipmunks and elephants dancing two by two.
They sneeringly pointed at Noah’s Zoo.
Did you assign comfortable places,
a window here, a corner there,
a shelf for the big cat’s lair,
organizing food for all those hungry faces?
Your three sons and wives surely helped too.
When all was stowed, God shut the door.
Then unfamiliar rain began,
clouds broke, with thunderous crashing,
afloat, rolling floors, water lashing,
awesome, furious, was this God’s hand?
Forty days and nights of prayer,
The storm raged upon the earth.
All life swallowed, your heart
aflame, flooding water everywhere.
Months passed, just floating, then the wind
rose with authority and brought the ark to rest
upon the mountains of Ararat, to the west.
Watching, waiting, wondering when the raven
went forth, then a dove and yet again,
finally an olive leaf in her beak.
God said, go forth, it is safe.
baptizing earth beneath your feet.
A new year’s altar raised, then
a commission given to replenish the land,
blessings for faith at your hand.
The first rainbow arched above your praise,
God’s promise to the end of days.
Then we’ll see it glowing ‘round the Throne
and know that we are safely home.
Reference: Genesis 6
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