by John C. Mannone
with bended head, carrying a load of feathers which he thinks are lead. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength. Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.. Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.. Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear. Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
A Found poem fashioned into a prose poem from aphorisms and proverbs from Corrie ten Boom [The Hidding Pace] and the NIV Scriptures [in italics in order of appearance: Matthew 11:28-30, Proverbs 12:25, Philippians 4:6, Matthew 6:34]
John C. Mannone has poems in North Dakota Quarterly, Poetry South, Windhover, Braided Way, Spirit Fire Review, Credo Espoir, Heart of Flesh Literary Journal, and Scriblerus Arts Journal. He won the Impressions of Appalachia Creative Arts Contest in poetry (2020) and the Carol Oen Memorial Fiction Prize (2020). He was awarded a Jean Ritchie Fellowship (2017) in Appalachian literature and served as celebrity judge for the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (2018). He has three poetry chapbooks, and four full-length collections: Disabled Monsters (Linnet’s Wings Press, 2015), Flux Lines: The Intersection of Science, Love, and Poetry (Linnet’s Wings Press, 2022), Sacred Flute Iris Press, 2022), and Song of the Mountains (Middle Creek Publishing, forthcoming 2023). He’s been nominated for Pushcart, Rhysling, and Best of the Net awards. He edits poetry for Abyss & Apex, Silver Blade, Liquid Imagination, and American Diversity Report. A retired professor of physics, he lives in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Agape Review 