Soul Work
John Claiborne Isbell
With day now gathered up and put away –
with every head now pillowed for the night –
with all the planets out in their array,
God’s angels come to earth, in the soft light
that holiness imposes. You can stray
from faith or innocence to your delight,
to your regret. There’s nothing you can say
to make the angels cease their oversight,
there’s nothing you can do. The angels come
to wrestle with the suffering: the sick,
the sleepless, and the dying. In the thick
of combat, they might touch your heart – that numb
and withered organ. And you may well weep.
Their work is done. You can go back to sleep.
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Fliss: Welcome, John, and well met! Many thanks for returning, for our first issue of 2026!​
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John: Well met indeed, Fliss and Word-Bird!
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F: So, ‘Soul Work’, on this occasion. Would it be apt for our mascot W.-B. to rev up the WM van again, this time in readiness for a journey into the soul?
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J: Ah, a journey into the soul! The WM van would be a splendid vehicle for such an undertaking. I am reminded of the movie Fantastic Voyage, with Raquel Welch, in which they enter the bloodstream. Yes, I think we had better be prepared for such a trip!
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F: Well, let’s make our preparations! W.-B. assures me that the WM van is well equipped, so all we need do is clamber on board and make ourselves comfortable. We note that ‘God’ is mentioned in the first stanza; is this the Christian God here?
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J: I think any god whose religion has angels would do in this context; I am ecumenical in intent. It’s good to be comfy in the van!
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F: Yes, already the van is proving the ideal vehicle for religious discussion! That’s interesting about the angels, John. We like the scene-setting through the first four lines. The notion of wrestling angels is intriguing; was this inspired by anything?
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J: Ah! Yes, it’s taken from the Bible, where Jacob wrestles an angel overnight. Jacob has a very interesting story, full of twists and turns. The Bible doesn’t say why they wrestled, just that they did. Here’s the whole episode:
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
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25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
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26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
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27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
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28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
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29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
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30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
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F: Thank you, John; it’s an interesting story. I remember the name change from Religious Knowledge classes at school, when I was about 9, I think. Was Jacob’s brother named Esau? It's funny, what we remember. So, with the wrestling in your poem, is it so the suffering might become strong?
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J: It is funny what one remembers! Yes, Esau is Jacob’s older brother, from whom he steals his father’s blessing. Their father is Isaac, whom Abraham had intended to sacrifice. It all ties together! As for wrestling with the angel, I think that contact with the holy does us good, one way or another, and perhaps illustrates that we are not alone just at those moments when we feel most abandoned. The weeping is I think the sign of a healthy (or healing) heart here, it’s a good thing.
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F: John, I’m very intrigued by notions of healing. You might recall a poem I once wrote about the coming of Word-Bird, after my life-changing injury. By then, in 2011, I’d experienced chronic pain for 21 years, and I just felt the need for a peaceful presence by my side. More recently, following another injury in mid-February 2025, W.-B. seemed to strengthen, quite a lot. Now, we don’t wrestle, but W.-B. does provide a holy contact of sorts. Is any of this in line with your thoughts about the angel who came for Jacob, or about angels in general?
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J: Yes! Fliss, I do recall your poem about the coming of Word-Bird. I also suspect that angels come in many guises and know that the idea of a guardian angel is fundamental to many religious traditions. It seems to me quite possible that you have in fact encountered your guardian angel and have been privileged to be aware of her presence. It is rather a nice thought.
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F: It is a nice thought! Thanks for these insights, John; they’re much appreciated. It is of course a daily privilege to know W.-B. She is a comfort. And we wonder whether you have ever experienced the presence of an angel, in any guise?
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J: You are most welcome, Fliss! Yes, I have indeed seen my share of angels in my time. “Any angel is terrifying,” says Rilke. But I don’t think I have ever wrestled with one. I have written poems about them, though, and these poems are mostly in my MS Ice Cream and Talmud. Among them is ‘Soul Work.’
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F: It’s a fascinating collection, John. Let’s hope you’ll find a publisher for it! So, shall we turn to metrical matters now? Is this a Petrarchan sonnet, maybe?
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J: Why thank you, Fliss and Word-Bird! This is indeed a Petrarchan sonnet, in iambic pentameter as I recall.
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F: Yes indeedy, IP, excellent. And you’re welcome, John! Well, I think that concludes our voyage in the van this time. We’ve done some good soul work and it was interesting to revisit the biblical story. W.-B. is contemplating the van’s cassette collection again, and I feel we ought to have an angel-themed piece playing as we return the van to its garage. Any requests from you?
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J: How about ‘There Must Be an Angel Playing with My Heart,’ by The Eurythmics?
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F: Brilliant choice, John! Funnily enough, that’s exactly the song I had in mind. So, let’s park up now, and no doubt we’ll embark on another adventure next month. Thanks again for joining us on WM!
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J: Woo-hoo!
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John Claiborne Isbell is a writer and now-retired professor currently residing in France with his wife Margarita. Their son Aibek lives in California with his wife Stephanie. John’s first book of poetry was Allegro (2018); he also publishes literary criticism, for instance An Outline of Romanticism in the West (2022) and Women Writers in the Romantic Age (April 2025), both available free online. John spent 35 years playing Ultimate Frisbee and finds it difficult not to dive for catches any more!
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