Jonah: Witness on a Hook | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Jonah: Witness on a Hook | Previous Challenge Entry
By TJ Nickel
02/05/07
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES

“Jonah: Witness on a Hook”

Jonah was a tasteless bait
Thrice vomited by the world
Jonah was a reluctant worm
Slippery, wriggly, curled
Upon the sailor’s boat
Denying God his ways
Mercy for the Ninevites
Done with his prophet days
…
The lots were cast
God called me out
The seas swelled, began to roar
This crazy God
Will save your lives
If you’ll throw me overboard

Mercy upon the sinners
His prophet deserves death
For once denying his call
My God hates men as refs

He’s real, be sure
He made the seas
No other god for me to crown
Stop rowing, he
Needs an off’ring
It’s only me he wants to drown
…
And so they threw him overboard
Begging mercy for this sin
The seas calmed down, the sailors hooked
And Jahweh realed them in
Then Jonah became a worm again
The sea beast grabbed the hook
Jonah who was sure to die
In the belly of the road he took
…
Lord, oh God
Please hear my prayer
I’m descending into hell
Nearly dead
Strung by finger
Please, God, hear the ringing bell

You are the one, and only
To you I renew my vow
Raise me from the pit of deep
To Nineveh I’ll go now

Lord, hear my prayer
Give me mercy
“Deliverance belongs to the Lord” (~1)
Forget me not
Keep me in sight
“Deliverance belongs to the Lord”
….
“Then the Lord spoke [un]to the fish and it
Spewed Jonah…upon…dry land” (~2)
A tasteless bait of mediocrity
Mercy! God withheld his Hand
Like so often, God jerked the line
Reeling in only earth-worm curled
To cast it out another time
Into the belly of the world
…
“To Nineveh
My calling
40 Days until you’re overthrown!” (~3)
Penitence? Oh,
Why bother?
God’s mind is omniscient, fully grown!

I questioned him fiercely on your behalf
Before he saved me from the whale
Let my bile-corroded skin bear witness
God’s great justice will never fail

Sins before him
Just like Soddom
Your great city has no shot
Find me one with
Virgins and salt
Lead me to your city’s Lot
…
But God repented, changed his mind
No calamity came to Nineveh
Jonah cried out into the deep
No! God, you are one helluva…
A worm now thrice, Jonah had become
Accustomed to the bait and switch
This unjust God, this Mercy-giver
It’s not fair! You’re a Lunatic!
…
Far from you
I shall now go
But this time, I shall not flee
Done with you
I shall not budge
From here to eternity

Ah, some shade to comfort my protest
These smaller gods are kind…
You would, you would! use another worm
Leaving me no rest to find

It’d be best
To let me die
For “death’s better than life” in this place (~4)
What is that
(What’s that) you say, my Lord?
Oh, another lesson in my face
…
Jonah, worm now thrice, and thrice a fool
Wanted justice instead of love
More than a prophet he wished to be
Greater than just a steward of
Digesting apple inside his gut
And Jonah writhing in its core
I can only guess the Fisherman
Cast him into the world once more.

1. (Jonah 2:9 NRSV)
2. (Jonah 2:10 NRSV, revised ‘to’, making it ‘unto’ for pentameter)
3. (Jonah 3:4, revised)
4. (Jonah 4:8, revised)

PREVIOUS ENTRY | NEXT ENTRY
SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY FOR THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.