Clay Pots

And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay and you are the Potter.

We are all formed by your hand. Isaiah 64:8

God takes a ball of wet, amorphous clay And throws the lump onto his potter’s wheel.

And as it spins, caressing hands display A practiced art employed by touch and feel.

But first, trapped air must be expelled by way Of pressing and compressing with the heel

Of hand before the potter has his say In bringing it to life with skillful zeal.

With gentle pressure, two thumbs entering The still point of the turning clay begin

The timeless process known as centering Which lifts and shapes the clay from deep within.

The new-made Man becomes—when glazed and fired— The Master Potter’s masterpiece—inspired.

James A. Tweedie is a recently retired pastor living in Long Beach, Washington. He likes to walk on the beach with his wife. He has written and self-published four novels and a collection of short stories. He has several hundred unpublished poems tucked away in drawers.