"Heretic, Rebel, a Thing to Flout" - PREACHING POETRY IN ROCKTON

Reading in Rockton.

This past Sunday the nice folks at the Unitatrian Universalsit Congregegation of Rock Valley  in Rockton, Illinois let me come and do an abbreviated version of my service Don’t Be Alarmed, Ma’am, He’s Only Committing Poetry.  It was good to see old friends from my home church, the Congregational Unitarian Church in Woodstock.  Jerry Paulsen is the president of 48 member congregation.  Ray Empereur, a former CUC moderator, invited me and drove all the way to Crystal Lake to pick me up in his red VW convertible.  Unfortunately it was too cool that morning, though the sun was shining on Midwestern countryside, to let our freak flags fly.

The congregation, which calved from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockford a few years ago, has been meeting for four years in an old school building in downtown Rockton.  The school was original built in the 1920’s and a classroom wing added in the early ’60’s.  They are in the process of buying the building and planning for the future.

It’s a lay let congregation that is currently served part-time by a student from Meadville/Lombard.  It will be a while before they can call a minister, but they fill the pulpit frequently with guests like me.

The congregation was attentive and appreciative.  They even talked about inviting me back to share some of the poems that I had to cut from the service due to time limitations.  I’d certainly like to come back.

Here is the little poem with which I closed the service.

AN HONOR TO BE ALIVE

This happenstance assemblage of atoms,

            this collection of random stardust

            echoing an explosive moment of creation,

            this unlikely bag of seawater, carbon and stone,

            oddly and inexplicably ambulatory,

            miraculously sees and recognizes you,

            the very you seeing and recognizing.

It is an honor to be alive.

--Patrick Murfin