Poem – For This Child I Prayed

Hello and welcome back! Today I’m going to share with you a poem I wrote a while back about a Biblical character rather near and dear to my heart… Her story is found in 1 Samuel Ch 1-2. And I just happen to share a name with her! Hannah’s story is such a beautiful, grace-filled story, and I really enjoyed writing about her in this poem. I was trying out a new style of poetry, similar to this poem that I shared a while back. I’m not entirely sure it works, but hey, experimenting is good, right? 😀 I hope you enjoy!

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For this child I prayed

Laughter rings through the smoke of camp fires as the smell of roasted meat fills

The twilight air with children frolicking and running around – not my children, no

My rival-wife’s womb is not empty and she continues to bear while I…

I remain with empty arms, empty-wombed, with bitter tears and aching heart

Empty of all I long for.

 

For this child I prayed

Day after day and seasons wax and wane with the silver moon and still my belly does not

Swell with the longed for life and meanwhile the other woman’s cup fills and runs over with

Children and how I long for a child of my own and how I pray for a child of my own but

Heaven is silent and the nights are long with tears and futile prayers as the moon sheds

Cold light on my empty arms.

 

For this child I prayed

To a God who says he hears our prayers and so how is it that mine are never answered? All

I want is one child to fill my barren womb so I can truly be a wife and woman – never mind what

My husband says about me being more than ten wives to him – because at the end of the day his

Other wife brings him a generation of children to raise as his own and I bring nothing and why

Does not God hear my desperate plea?

 

For this child I prayed

Down on my knees in the silence of the sanctuary with incense curling heavily above me as

Tears drip down my face and I tremble and weep and vow to dedicate my child to the God that

promises to hear the cries of his people if – if he will give me my heart’s desire

my heart’s desire will be given back to the giver of life. And so I pour my soul out to my God and pray

that he will grant mercy.

 

For this child I prayed

As I am accused of drinking myself into a stupor of wine – no sir, I am not drunk with wine but with

Grief that burdens my soul until I can scarce lift up my voice to pray and plead once more for

The only thing I have ever asked for – and then your words of blessing soothe my troubled soul as

The promised peace I long for comes like gentle rain from heaven. “Let your servant find

Favour in your eyes – my Lord and my God.”

 

For this child I prayed

Returning home to the eternity of waiting, watching, praying to my God as the words of the priest

Echo in my ears day after day until – until my God remembers this tear-drenched woman with

An aching heart and grants mercy on my troubled soul in the form of a life budding, blossoming

As the shadows of grief give way to the light of life shining within me and I am raised from the ash

To a place of glory.

 

For this child I prayed

I whisper in his tiny ears as I rock him under the cold light of a waning moon and my arms

Are empty no longer. With this blessing I am fulfilled and my heart is warm with peace as

I cradle my son and marvel at my heart’s desire lying in my arms – I have found favour with

My God who has remembered my grief and has given me all I asked for  – therefore my son is named

Samuel – “the one I have asked for.”

“For this child I prayed and the Lord has granted me my petition that I asked of him. So I have dedicated my son to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD.” – 1 Samuel 1:27-28

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That’s it for this week! Thanks for reading! 

Let’s chat! How did you enjoy this style of poetry? It’s a bit rough, I know, but I will admit I did enjoy writing this poem a lot…! 🙂 

*Picture credit goes to the ever obliging Pinterest – specifically here.