The 365 poems in this collection, one for every day of the year, are a journey through prayer. The objective of the poems is to serve as an accompaniment to prayer, silently, in the form of a verse. The initial inspiration of these writings was from the Psalms, but there is referenced material throughout the Scriptures, as well as events that occurred in history and in the author's daily life. With only a few exceptions, the prayer/poems are not date specific, denomination specific, or even specific to the author only, but to everyone. The poems speak of subjects such as faith, death, nature, freedom, love, beauty, and history. Each poem is intended to be able to stand on its own, independent of the others. These poems are unique in that they are prayers first, poems second, and could be considered daily devotions, spiritual meditations, or as a resource for pastors of all Christian denominations. They are written so that they could also be "crossover" poetry, and could be attractive to secular tastes as well.
The monumental task of writing this many poems brought the author's attention to prayer itself, and to the nature of artistic expression, which cannot be forced, but must come of its own. The succeeding "visitations" of the ideas or inspirations gave reason to believe that, not surprisingly, the author had help from the very ONE being written to, and about.
Jack Bartlett is a Professor Emeritus of Mississippi State University. He has one book of poetry published, Colors, published in 2001. He is also a painter of landscapes and the natural world.
"At a going-away party years ago, Jack Bartlett gave me a gift--a folder of his poems, cherished pieces of his heart and mind tying those parts of his being with those of mine. After many, many steps in our pilgrimage, he now offers just such a gift to others. In these prayer-poems his words hold for us what his heart and mind know of love, peace, and grace--and a God who catches up all our hearts and minds in loving embrace."
--L. Wayne Bryan
Executive Minister, Retired
South Carolina Christian Action Council
"A journal 'launched' at the Creator, written most often in solitude, where he finds himself 'like a winter foot without a sock,' daily, inside his Texas cabin, in a canoe, or trundling though autumn woods, Bartlett's 'A Year of Prayers' heralds his shape-shifting Lord as 'the maestro of majestic cohesion.' His radiant verses often echo the playfulness of G. M. Hopkins, the shocking heart jolts of Reynolds Price, and the fierce, psalmic inquisitions and jubilations of King David. 365 days of luminous tanagers and hummingbird wings, 'pink moon seasons' and 'hemlock canopies,' nursing homes and Roman villas, soldiers and children, DNA and cancer, fire ants and catfish, art and music, his own blindness and visionary ecstasies, the deaths of his parents and births of grandchildren; all seen as gifts, on his 'peaceful or tumultuous ride' on the 'trail to your love'--encountering God."
--Brent Funderburk
Professor of Art
Mississippi State University
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