Bethany Beyond the Jordan by Anna Montgomery
Bethany Beyond the Jordan,
Bethebara, Saphsaphas, Aenon
all names given to this
place of the willows
pilgrim’s route from Jerusalem,
crossing the Jordan, to Mt. Nebo
(West to East)
yet I’ve come from Mt. Nebo
Dead Sea to source
(East to West)
they say Jesus was baptized
by John upon this ground
garden of God, Jesus’ refuge
where sainted Mary Aegyptica
found true peace
we’ve come through
the religious market,
past Greek Orthodox
church-owned land
to a baptismal font
at the riverbank
tourists investigating
this narrow border
across the Jordan rabbis
perform rituals
clothed in elaborate robes
chant in Hebrew
beneath Israel’s flag
and the watchful eyes
of border guards
armed with automatic weapons
in the distance a Jeep
with a mounted
50 caliber machine gun idles
while the Jordanian
guard at my elbow
grips his kalashnikov
here the river
meanders
to the Dead Sea
one without life or outlet
looking across to Jerusalem
I have never
been one to take sides
preferring the freedom
to question
now my burning curiosity:
what are the holy men doing?
I cannot cross to ask
without deadly consequences
though perhaps if I,
like St. Mary the Egyptian,
walk on water . . .
Written for Brian Miller’s prompt on people watching for the Poetics prompt at dVerse Poets Pub: http://dversepoets.com/2012/09/29/poetics-6-billion-others/
Chromapoetica 
oh wow…love the setting and would love to visit there…you really bring it alive…not just with the history but your description…the history though gives us a frame of reference for our minds to fill it in…the men with the guns stand out then…and i love your question, what are the holy men doing? as i think it is an apropo question even today….really good anna…
Thanks, I enjoyed watching the video from the link you provided. I have his Earth from Above book. It made me think about a time when approaching someone I had watched was impossible. My trip to the Middle East left me with so many unanswered questions.
oh, this is wonderful, Anna. Your poem feels grounded in both history and curiosity. I am delighted you will be hosting at the pub and can’t wait for your prompts!
Well, you say that now Jane ;). Seriously, I am hopping excited to roll them out and had to remind myself several times not to put everything into one in my enthusiasm :). Thanks so much and for your beautifully kind words at dVerse!
Your last stanza is my favorite. Congratulations on joining the dverse team, Anna. I look forward to your prompt next week.
Thanks Shawna, I am super excited :)!
i was there many years ago and you took me right back.. there were lots of soldiers when we visited the wailing wall and it gave me an uneasy feeling…on the other hand a sense of security as well..
I would love to go to Israel, this trip I only made it to Egypt and Jordan. I read about pilgrims that travel through the Himalayas and sometimes die from altitude sickness along the way. Malcolm X’s thinking was transformed during his pilgrimage to Mecca. It is a powerful and perplexing activity. As someone with an inherent curiosity about spirituality and religion I always want to understand better what motivates people to undertake these journeys and how they can unite and divide humans.
I love the history in this poem. It’s so well told!
Thank you, I find narrative poems difficult but I thought it would work well for the prompt.
Such history and turmoil in that part of the world… you really capture the tension. Interesting write.
Thank you, nothing increases tension like the presence of deadly weapons.
Awesome job taking the theme to another level. The normal observations of what is seen in various areas, forcibly make me reconsider the idea of every day scenes, and how such a profound work can find its home in the poetic. Probably didn’t make my point the way I wanted to here, but the way you described the piece, it’s a scene, observations, and the notions of direction stuck with me, inviting the comparison of sight. Awesome write. and also, Congrats on joining the D’Verse crew…we had a couple teases a bit back, will be great getting a regular dose of the artistry you inspire. Thanks
I am a pacifist and weapons make me extremely uncomfortable. My spiritual life has always been less aligned with strict religious boundaries so the clearly drawn borders that asserted themselves in this location made personal how dangerous my position could be in particular circumstances. It didn’t help that the day before I was listening to a Bedouin man discuss how he would handle a rebellious daughter (he drew his hand across his throat).
Thanks, it is wonderful to be joining such an inspiring, talented, and generous group of people :)!
it reminds me of the 1000 women on pilgrim and stuck in an airport.
So interesting they only care about the young women, those over 45 are ‘of no concern’. I am so fortunate to be able to travel freely and alone.
A revisit to history again. Congrats on your joining the team Anna!
Hank
Thanks Hank, I’m really looking forward to it.
Congrats on joining the team. This is a truly stunning verse with which to celebrate the occasion. Look forward to reading you next week.
Thank you David, we’ll be experimenting so it should be fun!
Awesome Anna ~ I especially like the final stanza ~ congratulations on joining the dVerse team Anna ~ really looking forward to your first post 🙂
Me too, thanks so much Polly :D!
My curiosity would have gotten the better of me too. I would have wanted to know what the holy men were doing. It must have made everyone feel very unsettles to see the soldiers with all of their weapons knowing that it is all so volatile there and doesn’t take much to make an mole hill incident into a mountain.
Such holy lands for such warring peoples. You’ve painted the picture so well Anna. I would love to go there and see it all for myself too and ‘feel’ the place.
Truly enjoyed this Anna.
I’m glad I’m not the only one, I was thrown out of Sunday School at 5 or 6 for asking too many questions. Apparently that only encouraged my behavior :). Yes, I wonder how many international incidents are sparked by curiosity.
Amazing write. Truly you were a brave person. I would have been quaking in my boots with all that high power ammo around. You brought the scene arrive, created suspense. And yes, I would have wondered the same thing. Congrats on joining dVerse! I am sure you will have some treats in store for us all.
As I said to Fred, I am a pacifist and horrified by weapons, the trip took so much out of me. I am very excited and hope to bring some interesting and engaging prompts.
I too…have never been one to choose sides…Anna, again, a complete washing over by your words, a babtisim in itself. All senses ignited…and a huge virtual fist pump on the poetics announcement…can NOT wait to see what you’re going to bring to the table to fire up our pens. DreamTeam all the way!
I’m so glad to hear it, it seems the only time that’s required is for war and I don’t want to start one, fight in one, or support one (though as a taxpayer I have). As I said to Fred I am honored to be joining such an inspiring, talented, and generous group of poets. I feel blessed :D!
Wow – that does sound like a thought-provoking experience. I love the questioning curiosity in the final stanza.
Yes, it gets me into trouble all the time :).
A holy land to three religions and a history littered with a people who said never again when it was. Curisoity is when you ask how does history and belief fit…
A landslide of history pressurizing the present to be sure. Thanks for the visit John.
Gorgeous and gorgeously mythic once more, beautiful Anna– you are a treasure. I adore your work… xxxj
here the river
meanders
to the Dead Sea
one without life or outlet
looking across to Jerusalem
I have never
been one to take sides
…so much truth-telling in this cinematic re-take of both region and spiritual latitude…xj
Goodness, thank you for this wonderfully kind compliment. It means a lot to me.
I really enjoyed your description. I especially like the last lines. I don’t take side either. Wish I could walk on water too.
Thank you, there’s a lot to be said for remaining open-minded.
I haven’t been there but it will probably scare me to visit the Holy Place and there are guns all around ~ Enjoyed the share Anna ~
Thanks Grace, it was 3 weeks of life with armed guards and we visited many sites that had been recent terrorist targets.
Oh yeah. Fingers clicking, hat tipping….
Cool, thank you.
Thought provoking and educational write Anna – love it!
Anna :o]
Thanks so much for the visit :)!
Wonderful…love that final stanza.
Thanks Victoria, always lovely to see you here!
What a fabulous response to this prompt… people watching both above and below the surface, love all the layers if imagery and meaning, as well as the big, big questions you place before us.
I only had questions on that trip, thankfully something useful came out of my nature.