The prompt was to write a response poem. This response could be to a real story, a fictional story, something someone said, another poem…
Recently I’ve had some conversations about wilderness wandering, dry or barren seasons in life or winter seasons in life. I’ve been thinking, for awhile, about my current wilderness wandering with grief and breaking up with some bad habits. It isn’t all bad; I’ve been here before. I do have some praise mile markers (alters of praise to the Lord) in my personal wilderness.
Then, the other day one of my favorite authors posted a reel about the wilderness being a stronghold. It was based on 1 Samuel 23 and 24. My imagination was sparked. I’ve been thinking a lot about strongholds too.
There were no instructions for poetic form for this prompt.
En Gedi by Alissa Dedic
Parched, waterless, wasteland wanderings,
through a treacherous terrain,
squeezed between tight spaces,
shepherd’s voice calls, echoes
as he leads down untread roads.
From a plateau steep
through a canyon deep,
erosion carved caverns,
craggy places, rugged walls
where the nimble, agile, wily climb.
Wilderness–barren, empty, dry,
hidden caves and strongholds,
fortresses protect the prey from the predator
Masada— rock of escape.
Escape the pursuer, chose to run to the desert,
a place of safety in hard times yet dangerous terrain,
keep watch of footfalls, make your paths straight
on the journey to En Gedi then Masada.
I’m not Moses;
can’t strike a rock with a staff
to bring forth miraculous water,
at the oasis I’ll drink.
Desert isn’t a prison,
a place to execute pariah, exiled, condemned,
but a place of refuge,
the Lord is at hand.
Every drop of water and morsel of meat,
like manna and quail of old,
my life blood restored,
can’t go back to who I was before.
A crucible return to the place of birth,
intended tomb turned to womb,
among craggy crevices,
provisions unknown, secretly stored,
never too early, never too late.
En Gedi—
where the goats meander down to drink,
fig trees at the fresh water oasis,
quench my thirst, my hunger, and cleanse my soul!
Standing guard at my rock tower,
watching for the far off beacon to be lit,
proclamation for the day
the Lord’s garden will be rebuilt.
Today’s writing prompt is courtesy of Robert Lee Brewer, senior editor for Writer’s Digest. To read the original post, follow the link below:
https://www.writersdigest.com/2025-april-pad-challenge-day-18
To see the reel that sparked my imagination, follow the link below:
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