Writing in Snow

Midweek Reflections on Planning a Poem

'Idál (Justice), 7 ‘Aẓamat Grandeur 175 B.E. - Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Declaration of the Bab

Perhaps I should have titled this entry Planning the Poem: Part 3, because that is what I'm doing. I thought I have the poem planned and ready to begin the middle seven stanzas, but I was wrong. This morning I read an article by Edward Price, on BahaiTeachings.org1, titled "Reflections on the Declaration of the Bab"2. That article listed the six messengers of the Prophetic Cycle as Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus, Mohammad, and the Bab, who bridges the Prophetic Cycle and the Cycle of Fulfillment. It went on to list the Bab and Baha'u'llah under the Cycle of Fulfillment. In the poem "God's Religion" I'm going to put stanzas about Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus, Mohammad, the Bab, and Baha'u'llah. I will use Abraham, Krishna, and Buddha in another poem about progressive revelation.

God's Religion

It is the power
of the spiritual to inspire
through the Essence of Divinity
humanity's reawakening.

Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus, Mohammad, the Bab, and Baha'u'llah

It is in the power
of the spiritual to educate
through the messengers from the Almighty
the human soul.

I'm planning this poem in the same way I plan all my poems. First, I decide on a theme or title. Second, I write my ideas out in either prose or line phased. Third, I do research and change the poem as needed. I'm not sure if this is the best way to research and write a poem; however, it works for me, so I'm not going to change it as long as it works.

Footnotes
1  http://bahaiteachings.org/
2  http://bahaiteachings.org/reflections-declaration-bab