In Their Derelict Boat When my bones creak and my muscles strain I will praise you for this old boat, my soul, that carries me across the waters to you, on the far shore of my hopes. I strain to keep the rhythm of prayer: Pulling on the oars, moving the waters, advancing in the humble abandonment of my will into yours. O derelict boat, I cannot bail and row at the same time. Water seeps in through places that have not held the seal of my life in yours. O abundant sea I am yours: made in water, You, Lord, are my element. My boat fills, I am swamped. I find myself in you: all water, all salt, all ready to be born again in your boat, your ark, your vessel, the Christ.
Wendy Jean MacLean’s work is shaped by her lifelong engagement with mythology, gospel and spirituality. Published in Crosswinds, Gathering, Green Spirit, Ancient Paths, Boosey and Hawkes, GIA, Streetlight, Arborealis. Sheila-na-Gig, Collegeville Bearings Online. Awards include: Don Gutteridge Poetry Prize; Big Pond Rumours Chapbook; Open Heart; Poetry Matters; the Drummond, and a Pushcart nomination. Her music has been commissioned and sung internationally. In 2023 two pieces debuted at the national Unison Choir Festival in Halifax, in commemoration of the LGBTQ purge. Her latest book, On Small Wings, was published in 2022 by Wet Ink Books. Wendy is a Spiritual Director and minister of the United Church of Canada. She is currently part of the Deeptime Network leadership cohort.
Amethyst Review 