Carl Dennis won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and judging from the following poem, it is not hard to see why.
The God Who Loves You
Carl Dennis
It must be troubling for the god who loves you
To ponder how much happier you’d be today
Had you been able to glimpse your many futures.
It must be painful for him to watch you on Friday evenings
Driving home from the office, content with your week —
Three fine houses sold to deserving families —
Knowing as he does exactly what would have happened
Had you gone to your second choice for college,
Knowing the roommate you’d have been allotted
Whose ardent opinions on painting and music
Would have kindled in you a lifelong passion.
A life thirty points above the life you’re living
On any scale of satisfaction. And every point
A thorn in the side of the god who loves you.
You don’t want that, a large-souled man like you
Who tries to withhold from your wife the day’s disappointments
So she can save her empathy for the children.
And would you want this god to compare your wife
With the woman you were destined to meet on the other campus?
It hurts you to think of him ranking the conversation
You’d have enjoyed over there higher in insight
Than the conversation you’re used to.
And think how this loving god would feel
Knowing that the man next in line for your wife
Would have pleased her more than you ever will
Even on your best days, when you really try.
Can you sleep at night believing a god like that
Is pacing his cloudy bedroom, harassed by alternatives
You’re spared by ignorance? The difference between what is
And what could have been will remain alive for him
Even after you cease existing, after you catch a chill
Running out in the snow for the morning paper,
Losing eleven years that the god who loves you
Will feel compelled to imagine scene by scene
Unless you come to the rescue by imagining him
No wiser than you are, no god at all, only a friend
No closer than the actual friend you made at college,
The one you haven’t written in months. Sit down tonight
And write him about the life you can talk about
With a claim to authority, the life you’ve witnessed,
Which for all you know is the life you’ve chosen.
wow!
That was wonderful!!
Thank you
Interesting, but it seems Dennis is suggesting that we should regret the past. He seems to think we should think about how we could have done better in the past rather than making the best of our current situation (which you probably thought you were doing in the past). Sometimes we make decisions that aren’t the best for us, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t use our best judgement. You can’t judge everything correctly every time. Also, I really don’t see how God plays into this. God isn’t pained by you doing your best. God suffers from watching you make poor decisions, not doing your best and making the second best choice.
Austin-
So apparently you don’t want to regret the past. That’s fine. Regretting the past is not a particularly pleasant thing, but it is, definitely, a human thing. Many of us are susceptible to it.
Besides – that’s the best thing about poetry. At least good poetry, I mean. You can argue over interpretation and meaning.
Different people will see different things.
You talk about God like you know what God is. I will submit to you that you know what God is for YOU. It’s not the same for everybody.
We make decisions everyday of our life, most of the time we reflect on her past decisions which our usually the worst decisions we every made though we have grown stronger from the experiences of our are old decisions, we still can’t help ourselves to think how much more plesant our lives would have be if we would have made the best choice. That sort of chioce only comes from God! We are all ignort people compare to God, God is an all knowing and seeing supernatural being. He knows the path to peace,happiness, and prosperity therefore he is the one we must follow if we want to succeed at life. The title of this poem means greatness, “The God Who Loves You”, a father that truly loves you will always show you the way to everlasting life. Like Carl Dennis wrote, “Sit down tonight and write him about the life you can talk about. Which for all you know is the life you’ve chosen. You ought to try God today. Get down on your knees and pray! Jesus Loves You! Goodbye!
La’Sheena:
With all due respect to you and to those who believe like you do:
I am a Catholic. Much of what I believe I see as essentially a mystery, and unknowable. The Holy Spirit part of the trinity. It is not something I choose to talk about, or to try to make others see my point of view.
My relationship to God is very personal.
Do NOT assume that I don’t have a relationship to God just because I don’t express it in the way you do.
That is why people get extremely alienated by those like yourself.
You think there’s only one way.
I thank you for your comment, regardless.