Out of Darkness Into Light”
Karl Constantine FOLKES 1935 (Portland)
“To My Daughter Kaleila-Maida, on the Occasion of Your Christening at Eastertide.”
My Dearly Beloved Daughter, Kaleila-Maida Ngwekhin,
I am pleased to continue the dialogue I have had with you some twelve months now. I say continue, for you will recall that, at your conception thirteen calendar months ago, we — you and I — shared in the delight that soon you would materialize in the flesh and make your physical presence known to the world. In the common parlance of earthly folk, you would be “born.” And yet, before this ‘evolutionary’ process were to have taken place, your ancient spirit, fully cognizant of the arbitrariness of conceptual space and time, long existent on a metaphysically involutionary plane, beseeched me to break the seal that closed my ignorant eyes, and to be a witness to the evermore unfolding mystery of God’s universe transfigured in your innocent eyes. For is not written thus by hand of God in ancient scroll: “Suffer the children to come unto me for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
My dearly beloved daughter, you must forgive me, if I cannot be as eloquent as you are without benefit of words. But do not the Oriental sages aphoristically declare: “He that knows not is willing to declare all; and he that truly knows remains eloquent in his silence.” My dearly beloved daughter, I have chosen the path of the foolish, as a father is often wont to do; for I have tried to be eloquent with you, and found myself wanting. Let it remain thus; for as you grow, both mentally and spiritually, morally and physically, I, too, hope to grow — and learn.
My beloved daughter, I have chosen to grant you an earthly name by which people may recognize you, and by with which they may greet you. I have chosen to call you ‘Kaleila-Maida’ which captures your literal essence — ‘Beloved Maiden Out of Darkness Bearing Light.’ To us then, your father and your mother, and your four brothers; and to all humanity — you are Kaleila-Maida, the Beloved Maiden and Light Bearer. As our Beloved Maiden, our Light Bearer, our Kaleila-Maida, you will experience many rites of passage throughout this physical world. Today, during Holy Week, April 2, in the One thousand Nine Hundred and Eighty Third Year of Our Lord you, my beloved daughter, have been duly christened and baptized into the church; and the church fathers and congregation have shared in God’s Holy Sacrament, in the partaking of the Lord’s Supper; and in God’s blessings upon you.
From darkness into light…evermore from darkness into light. Peace be with you my child. May God bless you all the days of your life.
Your Father
Karl Constantine Folkes
Parish Hall
St. John’s Episcopal Church
Flushing, New York
Saturday, April 2, 1983
About this poem
Saturday, April 2, 1983, was the 92nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar, which meant there were 273 days remaining until the end of that year. Saturday, April 2, 1983, was also Holy Saturday, the day in the Christian liturgical calendar that celebrates the 40-hour long vigil that the followers of Jesus Christ held after his death and burial on Good Friday, and before his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Holy Saturday is the last day of Lent and of Holy Week, and the third day of the Eastern Triduum, the three high holidays before Easter, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. It was on Holy Saturday, April 2, 1983, that our daughter, Kaleila-Maida Ngwekhin Pufolkes, was christened at even tide, in a ceremonial candlelight ceremony at St. John’s Episcopal Church, in Flushing, New York, symbolizing Jesus as the light of the world ushering light into a nocturnal world. In keeping with ancient liturgical tradition, the christening ceremony began in darkness, and was climaxed by the lighting of candles at the christening moment of our daughter. This poem, written as an epistolary, is entitled “Out of Darkness Into Light,” and celebrates the occasion of the christening. more »
Written on April 02, 1983
Submitted by karlcfolkes on March 01, 2022
Modified by karlcfolkes on September 07, 2023
- 2:25 min read
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Quick analysis:
Scheme | X A AAXX XXXXXX |
---|---|
Characters | 2,771 |
Words | 483 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 1, 4, 6 |
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"Out of Darkness Into Light”" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 6 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/121147/out-of-darkness-into-light”>.
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