Miracle

By

Jewel

 

Listen!

 

Do you hear it?

I do.

I can feel it.

I expect a miracle is coming.

It has set loose this restlessness

inside of me.

 

Expect it.

Dream about it.

Give birth to it in your being.

Know! Something good

is coming down the line.

Finding its way to you

Like all things find their way

to god’s children.

 

Listen!

 

 

            What do you do when you hit rock bottom?  In “Miracle,” Jewel, an accomplished singer and songwriter, answers this question by using syntax, imagery, and free verse.  With these techniques, she explains her belief that God is overlooking those who follow him.

            In “Miracle,” Jewel uses effective syntax to emphasize the importance of her poem.  For example, she italicizes “feel” and ends her lines with punctuation marks. Such as “Listen!,” this one-word sentence ended with an exclamation point grabs the reader’s attention.  This first line makes the reader realize what one further reads must be important.  Jewel also contrasts the length of her lines; the first two or three lines will be short in the stanzas, then she will use long lines, ending with short lines.  Jewel uses these contrasting lengths to emphasize the depth her poem has. 

            Jewel also uses imagery to express her emotions and beliefs.  For example, she uses the metaphor “finding its way to you like all things find their way to god’s children.”  She uses this metaphor to express her belief that God will always support his children and good things wait on every silver lining.  Once again, she uses “Listen!” to emphasize the metaphor additionally and to increase the reader’s believability of the concept.

            Why would she use this style?  She uses free verse to separate herself from the typical poetry style.  Her style is different and is guaranteed to grab the attention of the reader.  Jewel does not use rhythm or rhyme in her poem; however it is distributed in sentences.  Although, she does use repetition at the end of her poem with “Listen!,” this reassures the reader that they are reading a poem.

            In conclusion, Jewel expresses her main message with the use of syntax, imagery, and free verse.  She uses her unique style to show off to the world that poetry really is more than words that rhyme and have rhythm- but poetry is an art that can be expressed in multiple traditions.