“As Barth”: A Poetic Challenge

I have a challenge to give to theo-bloggers with a creative side. It involves the following poem, “As Calvin,” written by Albert Piersma and published in The Calvin Forum II:2 (1936), p. 39.

As Calvin

Make of me no Calvinist,
God of Calvin and of me,
Cause me not to follow him
Who would follow only Thee.

Make of me no Calvinist,
Swallowing each word he penned,
Make of me a thinker, God,
As was he, Thy intimate friend!

Make me, God, as Calvin was,
Now, while yet in days of youth,
Delving from the Depths of Thine,
Sovereign, soul-exalting truth.

Make me like the Christ, O God,
Give me not a Calvin's ire,
But withhold from me the spark
For a new Servetus-fire.

Make me like a Calvin, God,
Just as humble, just as brave,
Like a Calvin who refused
E'en a stone upon his grave.

--Albert Piersma

So here is the challenge: write a poem like this, but about Barth instead of about Calvin. In other words, it should follow the basic form: Make of me no Barthian . . . Make me like a Barth. The poem need not be five stanzas, but it should at least get the essential aspects. I will publish all submissions on my blog, and at the end there will be a poll for people to vote on whose poem is the best.

Are you willing to give it a shot? The contest will be open until July 4, which is six weeks from today. All submissions should be emailed to me. My address is available by clicking on the link to my complete profile. Let the writing begin!

First update: I received 16 excellent entries for the contest! Here are the links to each one:

Wildcard Entry: “As Christ” - Aric Clark
Entry #1: “As Barth” - Dan
Entry #2: “As Barth” - Theodora Hawksley
Entry #3: “As Calvin, not Barth” - Guy Davies
Entry #4: “Three Haiku on Barth” - Kerry Walters
Entry #5: “An Ode to Clarity” - Jon Mackenzie
Entry #6: “Barth’s Grandeur” - Ben Myers
Entry #7: “Not I But Christ” - Charles Cameron
Entry #8: “As Charles Wesley” - Richard Hall
Entry #9: “As Barth” - Chris Tilling
Entry #10: “Four Limericks on Karl Barth” - Kim Fabricius
Entry #11: “Make of Me No Barthian” - Peter Kline
Entry #12: “The Tome of Barth weighs down my head” - Mykel Larson
Entry #13: “Barth & Rumi Advise the Theologian” - Ann Chapin
Entry #14: “As Barth” - Michael Pailthorpe
Entry #15: “Bonhoeffer Argues with Barth Over Heaven and its Songs” - David Wright

Second update: After two rounds of voting, Ann Chapin took home the “As Barth” prize. David Wright and Kim Fabricius were the two runners-up. Many thanks to everyone who entered the contest!