Day's World

Come, Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit,
Inspire this land
To worship you
And take a stand.
~Day Williams

Life of Christ

Few people knew

That this would be:

He changed the course

Of history.

~Day Williams

Ratifying the Constitution did
Inspire a Grand Procession in the Honor of
Ratification, “The most interesting
Scene,” wrote the Journal, “in this world’s part ever
Exhibited,” for every Citizen
Who wished to live beneath a Government
Capable to protect his person and
His property, united with the Farmers,
The Merchants and Mechanics, to create
This morning scene at nine: Three thousand people
Gathered on Philpot’s Hill, directed by
Plunket and Moore, both captains: Seven guns
From Major Smith’s and Captain Furnival’s
Park of Artillery, to which Huzzahs
(Three in all) signaled the Procession had
Begun, and the whole line moved to Fells’-Point
And from there through the Town’s main Streets amidst
The Acclamations of a Number of
Spectators (“a prodigious number”) to
Federal-Hill, where they were greeted by
A Seven-Gun Salute, and they partook
Of Entertainment brought forth for the Purpose.

They sat down at a Table (circular,
Three thousand and six hundred feet, with Standards
And the Devices of their Orders, which
Were flown as usual and showed the Town
And shipping in the Harbour what looked like
A brilliant camp, and the Repast was set
Out gracefully, with local food alone.

With Mr. Peters’ first-rate Ale, they closed
With Thirteen Toasts and were accompanied
By Thirteen federal discharges. Toasts
Were to the People’s Majesty, the late
Convention, Congress, Seven States which had
Adopted the Federal Constitution,
A speedy Ratification by those
Remaining six, without Amendments, to
George Washington (Toast number six), to His
Most Christian Majesty and other Allies,
The Maryland Convention’s virtuous
Sixty-three, and Toast number nine was to
The Agriculture, Manufactories
And Commerce of America, while ten:
The Memory of those who had
Fallen while in America’s defense.
Number eleven: Massachusetts’ worthy
Minority; that in each Quarter of
The Globe the flag of America be
Respected, and as Number Thirteen Toast:
Continuance of unanimity
Among inhabitants of Baltimore-
Town; and, the Business of the Day complete,
The different classes of the Citizens
Returned in separate Divisions to
Their proper Stations and continued their
Celebrations in many rational
And lofty Pleasures ‘til each heart was full.

~Day Williams

See “A Grand Procession in Baltimore from the Debate on the Constitution,” Part 2, The Library of America, compiled by Bernard Bail

(Unlike some citizens today, the citizens in Baltimore were overjoyed to have a Constitution.)

SECOND KINGS CHAPTER NINE

¹ Prophet Elisha called a man out from

The company of  prophets and told him,

This: “Tuck your cloak into your belt, and take

This flask of olive oil with you and go

To Ramoth Gilead. ² When you arrive,

Find the son of Jehoshaphat, the son

Of Nimshi, namely, Jehu. Go to him,

Get him away from his companions and

Take him inside an inner room, ³ then take

The flask and pour the oil upon his head

And say, ‘The LORD says: “I anoint you king

Of Israel.”‘ Then open up the door

And run; do not delay!” ⁴ So the young prophet

Went up to Ramoth Gilead. ⁵ When he

Arrived, he found the army officers

Sitting together. “I have brought a message

For you, commander,” he said. “For which one

Of us?” asked Jehu. He replied, “For you,

Commander.” ⁶ Jehu got up and went in

The house. The prophet poured the oil upon

The head of Jehu and declared, “The LORD,

The God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint

You king of the LORD’s people Israel.

⁷ You shall destroy the house of Ahab your

Own master, and I will avenge the blood

Of prophets, my own servants, and the blood

Of the LORD’s servants shed by Jezebel.

⁸ The entire house of Ahab will collapse.

I will cut off from Ahab each last male

In Israel: The slaves and freemen. ⁹ I

Will make the house of Ahab like the house

Of Jeroboam son of Nebat, like

The house of Baasha, Ahijah’s son,

¹⁰ And as for Jezebel, the dogs will lick

Her bones upon the plot of ground at Jezreel,

And nobody will bury her,'” then he

Opened the door and ran; ¹¹ when Jehu went

Out to his fellow officers, one asked

Jehu, “Are you all right? Why did this nut

Come in to you?” “You know the man, the sort

Of things he says,” said Jehu. ¹² “That’s not true!”

They said. “Tell us,” and Jehu said, “Here’s what

He said: ‘The LORD says: “I anoint you king

Of Israel.”‘” ¹³ They quickly took their cloaks

And spread them under him on the bare steps.

They blew the trumpet then and shouted, “Jehu

Is king!” ¹⁴ So the son of Jehoshaphat,

The son of Nimshi, Jehu, did conspire

Towards Joram. (Joram and all Israel

Had been defending Ramoth Gilead

From Hazael the king of Aram, ¹⁵ but

King Joram had come back to Jezreel to

Recover from the wounds the Arameans

Had given him in battle with Hazael

The king of Aram.) Jehu said, “If you

Desire to make me king, do not permit

Anybody to slip out of the city

To go and tell the news in Jezreel,” ¹⁶ then

He mounted his own chariot and rode

To Jezreel, for there Joram rested and

Ahaziah the king of Judah had

Gone down to see him; ¹⁷ when the lookout standing

On Jezreel’s tower saw Jehu’s troops approach,

He called, “Some troops are coming.” “Get a horseman,”

Joram commanded. “Send him out to meet

Them and ask, ‘Do you come in peace?'”

  ¹⁸ The horseman

Rode to meet Jehu and he said, “The king

Says: ‘Do you come in peace?'” “What do you have

To do with peace?” said Jehu. “Fall in line

Behind me,” and the lookout notified

The town, “The messenger has reached them, but

He isn’t coming back,” ¹⁹ and so the king

Sent out a second horseman. When he came

To them he said, “The king says: ‘Do you come

In peace?'” And Jehu said, “What do you have

To do with peace? Fall in behind me,” ²⁰ and

The lookout called, “He’s reached them, but he’s not

Returning either, and the driving is

Like that of Jehu, Nimshi’s son’ and he

Drives like a nut.” ²¹ “Hitch up my chariot,”

Joram commanded, and when it was hitched

Up, Joram king of Israel and Judah’s

King Ahaziah rode out, each in his

Own chariot, to meet with Jehu. They

Met him right at the plot of ground that Naboth 

The Jezreelite had owned; ²² when Joram saw

Jehu he asked him, “Have you come in peace,

Jehu?” And Jehu answered, “How can there

Be peace,” said Jehu, “while idolatry

And witchcraft of your mother Jezebel

Abound?” ²³ And Joram turned about and fled

And called out, “Ahaziah, treachery!”

²⁴ Then Jehu drew his bow and he shot Joram

Between the shoulders, and the arrow pierced

His heart—he slumped down in his chariot;

²⁵ To Bidkar, officer of chariots,

Jehu said, “Pick him up and throw him on

The field the Jezreelite named Naboth owned.

Recall how you and I did ride together

In chariots behind his father Ahab

When the LORD spoke this prophecy against

Him: ²⁶ ‘Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth

And his sons’ blood, declares the LORD, and I

Will surely make you pay for it upon

This plot of ground, declares the LORD.’ Now then,

Go pick him up and throw him on that plot,

According to the word of God.” ²⁷ Now when

Ahaziah the king of Judah saw

What had occurred, he fled along the road

Up to Beth Haggan; Jehu chased him, shouting,

“Kill him too!” And they wounded him inside

His chariot along the way to Gur

 Near Ibleam, but he escaped and fled

To Megiddo, where he died. ²⁸ Servants took

Him to Jerusalem by chariot 

 And buried him with his own ancestors

Inside his tomb in David’s City. ²⁹ (Now in year

Eleven of the son of Ahab, Joram,

Ahaziah became the king of Judah.)

³⁰ Then Jehu went to Jezreel. Jezebel

Heard of it and put on eye makeup, and

 Arranged her hair and looked out of a window.

³¹ As Jehu came in through the gate, she asked,

“You Zimri, you murderer of your master,  

Have you come here in peace?” ³² He looked up at

The window and called, “Who’s on my side? Who?”

Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. ³³ Jehu

  Said, “Throw her down!” They threw her down, and some

Of her blood spattered on the wall and horses

As they did trample her beneath their hooves.

            ³⁴ Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care

Of that bedeviled woman,” he said, “and

Go bury her, for she was a king’s daughter,”

            ³⁵ But when they went to bury her, they found

Nothing except her skull, her feet and hands.

³⁶ They went back and told Jehu, who said, “Through

            Tishbite Elijah, God’s own servant, God

Spoke this word: On the plot of ground at Jezreel

The dogs will eat the flesh of Jezebel.

            ³⁷ Jezebel’s body will become like dung

On ground in Jezreel’s plot, so none who dwell

In this place can say, ‘This is Jezebel.’”

The Land of Never

Have you ever been so clever 
You visited the Land of Never? 
“Never will I eat the foods that make me fat, 
Never will I say those awful words 
Like Heckedy Schmekedy drat,” 
Or in a moment of practiced pique 
When your bottom’s fallen in the creek: 
“Never ever will I do that again, 
No horse could drag me through that glen,” 
Or when your friend and you 
have a falling out,             
A spat where you cross your arms and shout, 
“That’s it, never will I be your friend! 
Never! Never! Never! The End!” . . . 
But 
 it’s not the end, 
  now is it? 
You’ll eat the pie despite the pounds and zits, 
You’ll say some awful things 
Because they have a righteous ring, 
You’ll take that trip to somewhere far away, 
Smiling as you wipe off spray, 
You’ll call your friends 
And make amends, 
You’ll say, “Did I say ‛Never’”? 
For me that’s far too clever. 
Let’s take a walk 
Around the block, 
Pluck a dandelion on the fly, 
Pick out Orion in the sky. 
Whatever we may endeavor 
Let’s steer clear 
Of the Land of Never.” 
 ~Day Williams

The upper room,
Communion cup,
The cross’s gloom,
His heart has stopped,
The empty tomb,
He’s risen up.

~Day Williams