The First and the Last
A Poem Imagining Hagar's Words to Mary
For a smidgeon of background information, this poem was written during the Ignatian Creators Summit. For a creative exercise, we were given a copy of Chagall’s painting ‘The Dream’ as inspiration to create anything in any medium. Some friends stretched themselves with video, charcoals, paint, prose, meditation practices, and even (my personal favorite) a nap. Creating rest is no easy work in this day and age!
The previous evening I had enjoyed a conversation with Gary Jansen about Hagar in Genesis 16. When I mentioned that she was the first woman in scripture to receive an annunciation, he mused on what a conversation between she and Mary would look like. That question lingered with me. When I saw this painting, I noticed the way the seated figure seems to have a hand on her belly and imagined it could be Hagar comforting Mary.
And to add a dash of context, Hagar is a figure in the Old Testament who I adore. She was the Egyptian slave of Sarah and Abraham and forced to bear Abraham’s child when Sarah was thought to be too old. After becoming pregnant, she suffers abuse from Sarah and flees into the desert. Hagar meets God in the wild and receives the first annunciation (pronouncement of her pregnancy) spoken directly to a woman. She then names God “A God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13), making her the first female theologian.
There are similarities between the stories of Hagar and Mary, mother of God. I aimed to weave some of these connections into the poem. I have written further about Hagar in this piece published by Grotto Network earlier this year, if you’d like to learn more about her story.
My daughter,
Descendant of those who spurned me,
Your heart – though frightened- overflows with love. //
I know the fear you carry,
The weight of the unknown,
Which grows within your womb. //
I too was visited by one from above,
I too heard news of my son
In a miraculous manner. //
Did you tremble? Do you now?
Let me hold you.
Comfort you with songs of our God. //
El Roi, the God who Sees Us,
The lowly, the unwed, the scared.
You are seen. You are loved. //
The road ahead is lined with difficulty,
Neither of our sons walked a smooth path,
Our journeys too were lonely at times. //
But we trust the promises
Of He who foretold their births,
Of He who gave us these gifts. //
Rest now, my daughter, lean into me.
For all too soon, you shall rise,
For Him, you shall be Brave. //
For He will unite us,
He will save us,
Jew and Gentile,
Clean and Unclean. //
A tapestry once torn,
Knit back with His Love.
Recommendations
I had the pleasure of meeting and listening to the music of Allison Beyer while at the Ignatian Creators Summit and I encourage all to follow her gorgeous creative work in various mediums! (And don’t miss that soundcloud link. You will thank me later.)
Another sweet friend I had the joy of getting to know while on retreat was Christine Eberle! I’ve admired and enjoyed Christine’s work on spirituality and everyday life for a while now and having the chance to chat and create together was such a gift. She has a new book dropping soon so keep an eye out and subscribe to her site for further updates.
This fall is an exciting season for new books! Gary Jansen (the aforementioned spark of the idea for this poem) has a book coming out called Saints, Angels & Demons. I’m fascinated to read about this topic, especially as I am sure it will include the nuance and wisdom I always enjoy in Gary’s work.
My friend
writes a wonderful Substack called Story Scraps. His last piece on Praying a Fairy Tale was excellent! He also recently wrote a book on Star Wars and Ignatian spirituality called My Life with the Jedi: The Spirituality of Star Wars. Such a unique, fabulous book - and a great gift for those Star Wars fans in your life!Finally, I wrote a piece for Jesuit.org on Embracing the Spiritual Wonder of Contemplation. This chronicles how my daughter is reeducating me on the beauty and wonder of contemplation and is a topic dear to my heart.
Thank for taking the time to read my work. Comment and let me know if you have a favorite character from Scripture and who you’d imagine conversing with - Samson and Dwayne Johnson? Ruth and Ilona Maher?
Have a great week, friends!
Beautiful poem, Alli!