Synkroniciti is pleased to welcome back poet Merryn Rutledge, based in Massachusetts, with two masterful poems exploring sacred patterns. “Stained Glass in Köln,” one of our “Patterns” poetry contest finalists, remembers the devastation of World War II through the immense resonance of the abstract, colored glass which replaced the shattered windows of the cathedral, lost when the city was bombed.
“Countless small, random fragments,/ shards that tell, not biblical stories/, but the glory of gold, red, orange, blue./ The panes insist on the present and also aver,/ We went blind when our ancient glass exploded,/ tearing flesh, stabbing the eyes of passersby./ We remember. We sing.”
The poem goes on to affirm that sunlight through raindrops is every bit as holy as the light shining through the cathedral windows. The rhythmic pulse of Merryn’s verse and the restrained use of repetition feel both orational and intimate, breathing in a way that creates stillness, slowness and awe.
“In Her Choir,” dedicated to E. Gray, is a beautiful tribute to a hard-working church organist/choir director, coaxing miracles out of ordinary folk. Merryn recognizes that to do such a job well requires a combination of musical skill with collaborative leadership and ministry. It’s a rare gift.
“I bungle an eighth-note rest. Mea culpa, I admit./ You’ll get it, she smiles, sans sarcasm or reproach./ Love, her figured bass above which float/ forbearance, forgiveness, gratitude.”
The alliterative music here is gentle and elegant, imitating the spirit of the woman described. Merryn permeates the poem with wonder and gratitude.
Read Merryn’s elegant and moving poems in Synkroniciti’s “Patterns” issue, available here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Winner of Orison Books’ 2023 Best Spiritual Literature poem prize and a Naugatuck River Review 2024 Best Narrative Poem finalist, Merryn Rutledge is widely published. Her collection Sweet Juice and Ruby-Bitter Seed is from Kelsay Books, where a second collection, To Carve a Path through Thickets, will be published in 2026. Merryn teaches poetry, reviews new poetry books, sings, and studies Tao and Buddhist practices.