Professor Janzen Reads Hopkins’ Sonnets
by Elaine Gingrich
When Janzen scans his lines, each stanza enchants—
Soft, swell; breath, bell; speak, spell—each noted nuance
Of stone rung, rhythm sprung…silence… All enhance
His intricate syllabic aural contredanse.
The optic nerves catch fire: a micro-expanse
Of inner landscapes; unique icons and fonts
Inscribe inscapes, transcribe atomic dance;
Words deftly flash designs that nature flaunts.
And more, each self that solos prominently
Echoes its source—By Him we cohere, consist—
As teacher, class and I, the dilettante,
Meet the word-waltzing, the word-wielding, the word-waking Word—all three:
The poem and poet, and Maker by whom they exist,
And we, wonderstruck with creation’s concertante.
With Georgian Bay sunsets and the music of waves at her doorstep, and a house full of poetry, music and theology, Elaine Gingrich aspires to create a bit of beauty in response.
Photography by Kenneth Godoy