Inversion, Irony, and Turning Verses Inside Out.

In which I dig into the text with a golden shovel

Photo by Jens Aber on Unsplash

The portion of the Bible that contains Sarah’s name in the title is “The Life of Sarah,” and ironically, it is all about her death. 

Or maybe irony isn’t the right word. Maybe it’s just an inversion.

And as I, a 21st Century Jewish feminist poet study and write about Sarah, I’m inverting and subverting time — along with assumptions, perspective, and more.

Likewise, the authors who inked centuries of oral history onto parchment to create the Bible subverted time and timelines too, as they wrote the values and theology of their era into ancient legends.

Again and again, as I continue to read, dream, and write into this story, I’m aware of the many ways directionality reverses itself.

Even the printed lines of the Bible flow in opposite directions, as they proceed from right to left in Hebrew, and reverse course to move from left to right when translated into English.

Photo by Natalia Y. on Unsplash

It’s as though this story is inviting me to think and read in all directions.

Enter the golden shovel

So, when I write in the form of the golden shovel, as I have with a handful of poems in this collection (including today’s poem), I likewise feel as though I’m pressing backward into the lines.

In a golden shovel, the poet uses the words from a short poem (or a few lines from a longer one), one by one in the order in which they appear, to complete each line of the new creation.

In this case, I use Bible verses instead of other people’s poems to complete the form. In doing so I’m simultaneously beholden to:

1. The original text,

2. The poetic form’s commitment to end each line with a word from the quoted text, in the order in which it appears in that text,

3. And my interpretation of the text as my thoughts swim upstream through it.

The poems that result are like a shirt that’s been turned inside out: The seams and label are showing and a new pattern is revealed. I may feel a little self-conscious wearing it in public, but also like I am making a bold statement.

Okay, I give up! I can’t carry that metaphor any further, so I’ll let today’s poem take it from here. 

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Today’s poem: ‘Sarai No Longer’

I created today’s modified golden shovel poem, “Sarai No Longer,” using the words from the following two verses in Genesis:

“Sarai shall no longer be called Sarai but Sarah. I will bless her and give her a son. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations, and rulers will issue from her.”
Genesis 17: 15-16

Listen to today’s poem.

“Sarai No Longer,” Copyright Tzivia Gover, all rights reserved.

The logo I created for The Life of H employs inversion, too.

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Dig in with a golden shovel and write your own poem

View the video lesson below to learn about the form, which was created by the amazing poet Terrance Hayes. Then follow the prompts and write your own Golden Shovel Poem.