And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. Genesis 2:21-22 NKJV

Before this verse, there are two things we learned about Adam: He was made in God’s image, and it was not good for him to be alone. So, God decided on something different. After Adam grows sleepy after standing all day long naming the animals. He yawns and decides to lie down for a moment for a nap. God smiles, while he watches Adam snoozing, and He takes a rib, from Adam’s side, and creates Eve. She is perfect, glowing with beauty and eagerly waiting for God to wake up Adam. Then God shakes Adam by the shoulder and whispers: “Wake up son. I have a surprise for you!”

That same surprise that our amazing God designed for Adam, should be the spark that lights a fire in our poetry. Many of us string together predictable rhymes, comfortable topics, and hope that if we thrash about hard enough, that somehow something beautiful will be born. Somewhere, between our inspiration and hoped for publication, we forgot the wonder of surprise that started us on our journey in the first place.

Think of the endless parade of superhero films. Whether you are a fan of Spider Man or Wonder Woman, Hawk Eye, or the Hulk, we like these folks because in some surprising way, they have been transformed, and given a gift that will “Save the World.” In poetry it has been the same, from Shakespeare to Dr. Seus, the poems that have had the power to stir us, have been fearfully and wonderfully different. So this morning, be like Superman and Batman. Step into your phone booth and strip off the clothing of the same old same old, or descend into your bat cave, start up your own unique and powerful vehicle, and then come roaring out with a poem that shouts, “Surprise!,” and go save the world today!