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Showing posts from December, 2023

Intercession.

  Intercession   Some ask the priest to pray to Joseph Famous carpenter who might ask His darling wife so full of grace Who in turn might ask her son The quiet and the thoughtful one  Might ask his Father high above To heal the sick and lame Intercession was the    game.  Who to pray for and for what? To remember those that time forgot Is it right to pray at all? Perhaps I’ll simply wish instead.  Blessings both for good and evil Sending concern across the ether As real as praying at the altar Wishes sprinkled on life’s water.  This prayer of mine is more a wish Sending wishes all the time Without a toll at every border Without a price to every order.  Free to travel back in time Free enough to span the oceans And the mountains while all the while Blessing those we now remember.  Friends or foes, it matters not  Love multiplies with every drop That’s sprinkled on our thirsty world  For man and woman, boy and girl. 

In principio

  In principio In the beginning it was dark There was no word or world No man, no God, no beast Nada, nothing, zilch.  And then one day it happened In a micro second  Suddenly from nowhere Time and space and matter.  We’ve no idea how it came about The scientists unsure We can but guess and speculate  No theory can articulate.  Don’t worry how the world appeared Toiling that it doesn’t disappear We are the only ones  With Mozart and Vermeer.  De Chardin is positive  We’re on an upwards journey  Agnostic me can’t choose  Nor does my choice decide What world our children find When we have left the stage  But I believe in miracles  And we will surely need one.  Or two. 

Noli timére

  Don’t lie lonely   Don’t lie lonely in your cancer bed You are surrounded by fond thoughts Wishing you the best and rest From pain and awful suffering.  At times like this we pray for you In the early hours before the dawn We will keep vigil at your bed We will hold you in the Light.  We can’t make sense of pain It’s impossible to explain Why sickness strikes a gentle soul And leaves another whole.  We will hold you by the hand Try and help you understand The millions that will pray for you In icy convents and Hiace vans.  Listen, if you can, to silence In that silence are the prayers Wordless, timeless at the core A pulse of love and care.  You are not alone tonight Listen to the silent hymns Know that you are loved  Both now and ever more.  For S,R,L

Battling Climate Change

  Battling Climate Change To fight to win is nice alright No one wants to lose the battle But fighting climate change  Is perhaps another matter.  No one knows for sure Who will win the match Or even what’s the score Everyone is ignorant.  The next ten years will tell As weather speaks its mind  Time will count troops on the front Will give a clear account How much more noble still To enter battle without knowing Who shall win and who shall lose But to fight the fight anyway.  Like the fellows who fell In Flanders fields unknowing  If their lives had stopped the foe Or just were canon fodder.  The call is clear and noble To battle change with valor Regardless of result Despite dark intuition.  In the end we’ll never know How many lives we saved But even if it’s only one It’s a decent job well done. 

It’s a mild December morning

It’s a mild December morning.   It’s a mild December morning A mid month revelation Between the rains and snow As Christmas Day comes near.  All the better being unexpected A season’s gift - surprise The grey clouds disappear The sun brings winter cheer.  Townpeople leave their houses Hats and scarves are surplus Dog walkers now emerge Grateful for the moment.  In five brief days the limpid sun Will turn its course again The days will lengthen A year has come and gone.  Further from our birth Nearer to our grave  Enjoying more than ever The world that God has made.  Squeezing pleasure even more From the simple things of course Now every second counts As time files out the door.  A traffic jam, so what? Just more time to savour The music in the car When delay is just a favor. 

The job of the prophet

  The job of the prophet The job of the prophet Is to see round the corner To hear silent noises In the branches of trees To read from the patterns That form in the morning  From ice on the windows To wild honey bees To appear at the door With the unwelcome message That revellers don’t want to hear A long night of laughter and beer.  Unable to lie he just slings his hook Shakes off the dust from his shoes And looks for a country of welcome He lives alone by the sea Alone he sits with his truth Watching the waves rear and die Sadly counting the days Preaching to the wind from the West.  The Atlantic winds laugh in his face But he cares for the human race Weeping for those who will follow For those who will never be born.