Qoheleth
—Hebrew title for the speaker in Ecclesiastes
I know a God-sized hole stays in our souls.
The mind abhors a vacuum, seeks the whole.
God set eternity in human hearts—
A worthy search, until things fall apart.
It seems so much in life is hit or miss.
How hard I tried to grasp eternal bliss,
Through power, pleasure and authority
But never found lasting tranquility.
I soon became restless, edgy, and bored.
I bought far more than what I could afford.
So wisdom, knowledge, berth, became my quest,
To gain renown and view from Everest—
Until I found no one, nothing could fill
My soul’s abyss. I felt an icy chill.
What is the point to chase after the wind?
What joker in the shadows sat and grinned?
Who has the force to keep the breath of life?
Who has the might to dodge trauma and strife?
It’s time to seek the Creator’s face and hand,
and leave aside my castles built on sand.
Poet’s Note: line 3 alludes to Eccles. 3:11.
Peter Venable has been writing poetry for fifty years and his poems have appeared in The Lyric, The Merton Seasonal, The Christian Century, and other publications. More of his work can be found at petercvenable.wordpress.com. His “Roofless Church” merited an Honorable Mention in The Best Poems of 2024 in the SCP’s International Poetry Competition.
Peter, I like the way you go from “power, pleasure” to “wisdom, knowledge” and to “renown” before realizing we’re just building castles in the sand. Thought-provoking.
I, too, am fascinated by The Preacher — his thoughts, his quest, and his conclusions. You’ve summarized quite a bit of what he found in his search for meaning.
Well done paraphrase of the Preacher and his characteristic proverbial wisdom into words that seem typical today–except that we rarely convey such expansive thoughts. Every line a modern meditation, and some of them simply classic. “Who has the force to keep the breath of life?” You’ve succeeded in renewing the inspired model, Peter.
You, the venerable Venable, have penned notes that strike a plangent chord awakening the cantus firmus at the base of our highest desires, reconnections with the eternal godhead. In other words, you have plucked the strings that carry us above this mortal fray and hold our lives together.