LEAPS OF (POETIC) FAITH - "Self-fulfilling Intercessions" by James Patrick Schmidt

Hey folks,


So after a long, anticipatory wait, we are finally giving you guys some of the work from local writers who sent poem in for the call and respond that we put out a few weeks ago. If you are still interested in submitting work, it is not too late! Submit your work to us at mwc@midwestwritingcenter.org. If you forgot the topic and guidelines, here they are...


When we are experiencing difficulties in our lives, a commonly heard phrase is used to offer sympathy, or to hearten and encourage us: “have faith”—in institutions, in a higher power, in people who care about us, in ourselves. But what exactly does “having faith” look like? What does it mean to have faith? What, or whom, do we have faith in? What inspires our faith? Have we ever lost faith in someone/something? Is faith recoverable?


For this project, we are asking the community to reflect on the idea of “faith” in a poetic way. Considering what a power concept faith can be, and how widely faith can be interpreted, we are interested in see how individuals define, describe, or enact faith using poetry as a medium.


Submission Guidelines:


-No previously published work, please
-Any style, form, etc. is welcome
-You may submit up to two poems
-Submit all poems/etc. in a single file attachments (.doc, .docx, or .rtf only, please!)
-Use a standard font and formatting (Times New Roman, 12 point, single space)
-Please email all submissions to Aubrey Barnes at midwestwritingcenter@gmail.com


All contributors will be welcomed to read there work Thursday, November 30, 8pm at Rozz-Tox in Rock Island (event is free & open to the public, and will be preceded by an open mic at 7pm.


Now for the stuff you guys came here for...


Our first poem comes from James Patrick Schmidt. He is a poet, media strategist, and speaker who follows in the bardic tradition of delivering a journalistic accounting of the Truth of our perspectives. Forever a student of both the medium and the message, JPS believes the magic of stories come from the human connections they create.

He has published “Love Poems on Bar Napkins,” a chapbook collection, and has a forthcoming chapbook “B-side Salvation.” Born and raised in Silvis, Illinois, he now lives in Moline with his wife and son. You can learn more at jamespatrickschmidt.com.

Here's James' Poem, Self-fulfilling Intercessions..


There's a special prayer for gas tanks
with the needle on E, known widely
among hitchhikers—or soon to be
hitchhikers. I’ve never learned
the words, but I’ve held it’s feeling
in my chest, watching the cars pass
by like salmon striking a bear’s leg
midstream. I’ve known preachers
who claimed prayer has the power
to do anything, but I’ve never uttered
Jesus’ name in time to bear witness.
I’ve never got fuel left to multiply,
and it’s my experience that Jesus
doesn’t do Twinkies. There’s a
special prayer to St. Jude for people
like me. Lost causes who don’t believe
in magic tricks. And I paid enough
attention in Psych 101 to know
that prayer is the practice of positive
thinking whether you end “in Jesus’ name”
or not. And I paid enough attention
in church to be OK with that. I speak
the language of parables and redemption
with the skill of a prophet. They call
it practicing faith for a reason, trying
not to look back lest I catch myself
on a nail and my work comes undone.
There’s a special prayer for people
who want to believe in God. I know
the words to that one, chanting into
eternity for the sake of my mother
and my children, regretting the scales
that fell from my eyes long ago onto
open pages of the Bible, the Catechism,
the Summa Theologica. When I failed
to reason myself through the Sacrament.
But there’s a special prayer they don’t know
in churches. I found it in the bottom
of my gas tank, rattling against the muck
and debris, resonating through every stage
of my fall. I keep it next to the owner’s
manual, and I drag it out when things
go wrong, just to be sure it still works.
And it may not count as religion, but
it’s faith enough for me.






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