By Mercy (poem)

by | May 28, 2024 | 5 Merciful, Poetry

By Mercy
J. Marshall Jenkins

Only by mercy do
the merciless live another day,
and only by mercy does
another day come at all.

By mercy the rainbow drapes
every color over battlefields,
and a young sycamore etches
spring growth in winter sky.

By mercy mortals play
at creating worlds with words,
at living for what they make
and dying for what they love.

No one maps mercy’s spring back
to its crystalline, gushing source; yet,
in the beginning, a heart broke
setting all things in motion.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy (Matthew 5:7).

Related Posts

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Original Mercy

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash, Public Domain

5 Comments

  1. Carla

    This is just beautiful.

    Reply
    • J. Marshall Jenkins

      Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Cinda McGuinn

    Thank you Marshall for another beautiful and thought provoking poem.

    Reply
    • J. Marshall Jenkins

      You’re most welcome, Cinda. I hope you and yours are well.

      Reply
      • Cinda McGuinn

        Doug and I are fine for a couple of old geezers and Davie and his extra sweet wife are great too. Maybe you will meet Jen some time. So when will the epic “slim book of verse” by poet J. Marshall Jenkins be available for purchase? I’ll be watching for it. Love to Wanda and you, Cinda

        Reply

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