The Unfathomable Theology of Fishing: A Diverse Collection of Poems

By Raymond H. Haan

This little congregation of poems begins with fishing and ends with a candle snuffer. Between come encounters with fear and faith, parting and death, friendship and love, dejection and peace. You will encounter a good bit of spiritual sense and just a bit of nonsense. You will read a strange story or two, you will feel the clutch of loneliness and the sting of bereavement, and you will be reminded of wisdom that shines far beyond these poems. Rhymed verse, free verse, a bit of rollicking fun, and a good deal of heart compose this uniquely varied and diverting collection of poems. Time and birds, a chipmunk and a squirrel, daisies and maples, a bloodhound, a zipper, a jar and cover, a nest, a buttercup, a bier, used shirts, tea, a cross stitch, and, almost inevitably, the sun come one by one to entice your thoughts and affections.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Release date: Jul 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666703399

Raymond H. Haan

Raymond H. Haan attended Calvin College and the University of Michigan. He happily survived thirty-nine years as a teacher of English, simultaneously pursuing his passion for church music by serving as organist and director of music and by publishing much choral, organ, and instrumental music for worship. Since retiring from teaching and active music-making, he has written a light-hearted book of serious grammar instruction, has produced miscellaneous prose, and has written a good helping of poetry, including Singing the Gamut, Word Songs and Whimsies, Alphabetical Frolic, and The Unfathomable Theology of Fishing, published by Wipf and Stock. He lives in Cutlerville, Michigan, within a few miles of his four children and a goodly quiverfull of grandchildren.

Book preview

The Unfathomable Theology of Fishing

a diverse collection of poems

Raymond H. Haan

The Unfathomable Theology of Fishing

A Diverse Collection of Poems

Copyright ©

2021

Raymond H. Haan. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers,

199

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8

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, Eugene, OR

97401

.

Resource Publications

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199

W.

8

th Ave., Suite

3

Eugene, OR

97401

www.wipfandstock.com

paperback isbn: 978-1-6667-0337-5

hardcover isbn: 978-1-6667-0338-2

ebook isbn: 978-1-6667-0339-9

07/01/21

Table of Contents

Title Page

Acknowledgment

Introduction

Other books by Raymond H. Haan, published by Wipf and Stock

The Unfathomable Theology of Fishing

Island

Flights

Departure

Grit

Running

Invitation

Shirts

Hope

Abuse

God’s Secret

Nostalgia

Longing

Puzzle

Delight

Charlie Chipmunk and the Condo Queen

Tether

Molting

Cataract

Friends

Stuck

Eloquence

Paradox

No Emmaus

Demon

Theology on the Freeway

Bumps

C l e a n

Dinner Upside Down

Monochrome Dirge

Bereaved

The Gardener

Today’s Tea

The Seed

Treasure

Two Tableaus

Bloodhound

Supple and Snug

Corpus Christi**

Illustration

Detour

Wood Work

Dejection

Purpose

Perversion

Place of Peace

Crooked Cross Stitch

Survival

Golden Dawn

Oxygen

I dedicate this little book to the joyful memory of four friends,

Clifford Kohlbeck, Richard Herrema, Jerome Smith, and Ronald Kooistra—

each an unfading gift.

Acknowledgment

Once again I inscribe my gratitude to Kathleen Herrema, whose precise and patient angling in these verbal waters fished out flaws small and great. Defects yet lurking in the depths of this volume exist because the author failed to yield to her fishing expertise. (It should be noted that she has never adopted the practice of catch