Mary Lang explores the relationship between poetry and prayer in this article from Dappled Things. What a beautiful reflection on how we choose to speak and ultimately develop a relationship with our heavenly Father. 

Read the article here.

"As a means of direct address to God, poetry has a divinely ordained freedom of speech. In the Psalms, we see the poets praising, but also complaining and railing against what appears to be God’s silence and neglect, or interrogating him and imploring things of him. Poetry can be a means of working out the problems in the spiritual life....

Speaking to God in poetry or writing poems about him is comparable to the sweet perfume which Mary Magdalene poured over the feet of our Lord—a holy waste. It takes time and effort that might otherwise be profitably applied to serving the poor, cleaning the church, or even taking care of one’s own children. It doesn’t have to be said that real obligations cannot be neglected, but a person ought neither to feel guilty for “wasting” precious time pounding out a poem instead of serving the less fortunate. Take my word: knowing Christ is worth it."