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The author’s self-appointed task—to write a poem for every book of the Holy Bible—began in 1996 when she decided to compose thoughts gleaned while reading Genesis. “The Beginning” speaks of God’s plan for creation: “It took six wonderful days for all to be designed…” Some of the offerings are based on Annielean’s dreams, like “Desperation to Salvation,” and many arose in the contemplation she experienced during her encounters with scripture. The book of Joel, for example, occasioned the composition “A Profound Call of the Lord,” an alert concerning times to come: “…don’t be one of the missing few!”
In 2000, studying the Gospel of John, she had a direct designation from the Lord, as “Annielean – one who leans against the wind.” A lengthy paean to “Eternal Passion” sprang from the words written in Hosea: “Mankind is blinded, stumbling over / Shadows within – losing blessings of / The Eternal God because of sin.” Annielean’s collection ends with “The Guiding Hand,” written in 2012 when she experienced major life changes and questioned her power to endure. But she concluded, “In the end, my destiny is eternity – by-and-by…”
Annielean, who was ordained in 1999, writes with equal measures of strength and vulnerability as she ponders the messages the Bible conveys. Each poem, phrased in rhyming stanzas, expresses her authentic feelings while bringing scripture to life, sometimes through direct quotations. Each is accompanied by her notes detailing when the work was written, and why, even recounting times when she could barely bring herself to read and write from the words of “the Author.” This combination will give the reader a sense of Annielean’s deep religious conviction and may serve to inspire others to take up the task of poring through scripture and giving it life through poetry and recollection.