Nanny had unwrapped
The christening gown
Handed down through
The generations
Grandma hand-knitted
The booties
Laced them with
Pure white ribbon
The God parents
Presented a shawl
White as fallen snow
And we stood together
Beside the font
And welcomed him
Into the family of
Christ
The Nine Worthies
Figures of history?
Men of scripture?
Men steeped in myth or
legend?
Any or all might apply
But these figures
personified
The chivalric ideals
Of the medieval world.
Three of the nine were
pagans
Hector prince of Troy,
Slain by Achilles
Alexander the great
Conqueror of the
world,
Julius Caesar,
Founder of a dynasty
Three of the nine were
Jewish
Joshua, Apprentice of
Moses
And leader of the
Israelites
David, of the house of
David,
Second King of Israel
Judas Maccabeus,
leader
Of the Maccabean
revolt
Three of the nine were
Christian
King Arthur of
Camelot,
Fair and just
Charlemagne, the first
Holy Roman Emperor
Godfrey of Bouillon,
first ruler
Of the Kingdom of
Jerusalem
These nine worthies
Were considered
paragons
Of the ideals of
chivalry
On mystical quests
The medieval knights
Sought the Holy Grail
They journeyed far
And widely searched
For a fine Golden cup
Bejewelled with gems
A challis fit for a
King
Used at the last
supper
By Christ himself
But these brave
knights
Were doomed to fail
Christ did not live as
a King
He was a Carpenter
And a poor carpenters
cup
Would not have been
Crafted in Gold
And encrusted with
Jewels
It would be a simple
cup
Carved from wood
A humble vessel
For the son of God
God sat upon his throne
In the presence of the
chosen
All was well in
paradise
It was a special day
in heaven
There was a quiet
mutter abroad
And the flutter of
Angels wings
Before a silent hush
descended
And the heavenly
chorus sings
God is on the Web waiting for your prayer
You can easily find
Him if you look around
There is no video
link, Skype or live chat
But if you have faith
it will be profound
Of course if an
atheist was to click the link
It would respond with “Page
not found”
Within the silent echo
Of the last rites
As the last words of
life
Reluctantly give way
To the first words of death
God reaches out his hand
And you alluringly
ascend
On comforting wings
Candlemas Day,
The festival of lights
40 days after Epiphany
Is celebrated to mark
The Presentation of
Christ
In The Temple,
Imbolc, on February 1st
Is one of the four
Gaelic seasonal
festivals
Imbolc marks
The beginning of
spring
And the end winter.
Celebrated with
feasting,
The making of Brighid's
crosses,
The holy wells are visited,
And divination begins
Saint Brigit of Kildare
Or Brigid of Ireland
Also known as Mary of
the Gael
Is one of Ireland's patron
Saints
Along with Patrick and
Columba
Her mother was Brocca
A Christian Pict and
slave,
Baptised by Saint
Patrick
Brigid herself was
born into slavery
But it was clear she
was holy
An became an early
Christian nun
When she became
Abbess,
She founded Kildare
monastery
The Church of the Oak,
On the site of an old
pagan shrine
To the Celtic goddess
Brigid
Feast day 1st
February
The feast day of Saint Brigit
Is an Irish National Day
When the Irish people
Celebrate Saint Brigit's Day
God is goodness
God is love
God and love
Go hand in glove
God is blessed
God is hope
God and hope
Will help us cope
God is loving
God is peace
God and peace
Will never cease
God is patient
God is grace
God and grace
Hold us in embrace
God is goodness
God is love
God and love
Go hand in glove
In God’s name, for centuries
They waged their holy
wars
Singing songs to God
As they march in their
corps
In God’s name, across
the years
From home to foreign shores
Tit for tat acts of
religious hate
Are used to settle
scores
God’s names, Jehovah,
God or Allah
Differ only by rules
and law
Although God by any
name
Does not encourage
acts of war
In God’s name, even to
this day
They are prepared to
fight and die
And beneath their holy
banners
They use God as a
battle cry
In God’s name, war is
waged
And for every soul who
dies
God sits on his throne
in heaven
With sadness in his
eyes
In God’s name, preach
only peace
God is there for all
humanity
In God’s name, put
down your swords
His gift is love to
all who see
I am twenty one years old
And was raised in the
proper way
To abide by the laws
of land
And to live by the
rules every day
I was raised to apply
common sense
To any action I might make
And to use my own judgment
And not to fear making a mistake
I was raised to respect myself
And respect others at the same time
I was raised to respect the law
And not to resort to crime
I was raised to think for myself
And given the tools to do so
I was taught the right from wrong
And how to behave and how to say no
I loved my life and I was happy
I had a good job which paid very well
A large circle of great friends
And a shiny new car I called Annabel
So when I went to a party with friends
To celebrate a twenty
first birthday
I drove their in my
beloved Annabel
And drank only coke to
my friends dismay
I remembered what I
was taught
And I didn't drink and drive
Despite pressure from my piers
I made a conscious
choice to stay alive
I had a good time at
the party
And I was proud of
myself for my stance
I had a good time at
the party
Though friends teased me
for my abstinence
All too soon the party
ended
And we hugged and
kissed our goodnights
Then we all went our
separate ways
I got into Annabel and
turned on the lights
I drove off safe in
the knowledge
I had done the right thing staying dry
I observed all the speed restrictions
Not realizing I was
soon about to die
I’m standing on the roadside
And see my broken body
on the ground
Poor Annabel is
smashed to pieces
With men in uniforms
all around
A young man was led
away in handcuffs
It seems he was a drink
driver
All his passengers
were also dead
He was drunk and the
only survivor
If he had been taught
as I was
I would not now be
lying dead
If he had been taught
as I was
The road would not be
coloured red
In my short life I was
a good person
I was a good daughter
to my parents
A good sister to my
young brother
And good to my friends
and confidents
There is so much I will
now never do
My life will never be
fulfilled
I was a good citizen
until today
Monks of peace, saffron robed
March with quiet
dignity
Arm in arm with their
countrymen
Marching for democracy
Joy written on every
face
As they march to free
Burma
From military
dictatorship
Monks of peace, saffron
robed
March to end the tyranny
Cheered loudly by the
people
In the face of western
hypocrisy
As they march to free
Burma
From Than Shwe’s
vicious regime
Monks of peace,
saffron robed
March with quiet
dignity
Marching for Aung Aan
Suu Kyi
Hope in every heart
As they march to free
Burma
From an unjust
government
Then the peace is
violently shattered
Tear gas grenades
explode
And laughter turns to
screams
Joy to terror
Hope to despair
Shots ring out
Volley fire over head
Then soldiers
approach
Rattan batons in hand
Monks of peace,
saffron robed
Stagger with bloodied
skulls
Saffron stained with
blood
Fear etched on every
face
Screams ring out
As people run for
safety
Before the Army’s
advance
Monks of peace,
saffron robed
March on with
determination
Until the peace is shattered
again
By rifles crack
And in the echoing
percussion
Monks of peace lay
dead
The peaceful to rest
in peace
While tyrants live to kill
again
And the west looks on
in shame
Teardrops stain my cheeks
Now my love you’ve
gone
Gone to join the angel’s
throng
As sad and lonely I
live on
I am comforted to know
In my sadness and
despair
I’m alone but you are
with me
As I feel you
everywhere
With my faith for
strength
I wipe my teary eyes
Safe in the knowledge
That no one really
dies
We will be together
again
If my beloved, you
will wait
Beyond the golden
portal
Just through heavens
gate
As a boy I asked God for a bike one day,
But I knew God didn’t
work that way
So I decided to steal
a bike and then
I asked God for
forgiveness instead
At his bedside
The gentle angel stood
Watching as he slept
Listening to his quiet shallow breath
Then the angel softly spoke
And reached out a hand
“Your time has come to see the lord”
“Come with me now”
Then he slept no more
And he left his empty body
Taking the offered hand
The angel smiled and they began to ascend
To a better place and time
Traveling upward through a tunnel
Toward a light becoming ever brighter
Its brightness became almost blinding
Until with the angel he emerged
Into the land of light and love
The angel left him with a smile
With those who had passed before
Familiar faces greeted him
Loved ones from years past
Who showed him round heavens paradise
Where milk and honey flowed
Scenes of unimagined beauty met his eye
And the sweetest perfumes filled the air
Music was everywhere invading every pore
From simple refrains to grand symphonies
Musicians played on instruments of gold
While choirs of angels sang
But the most overpowering feeling
That assailed his senses
Was of everlasting love
The father is with us every moment
Of every hour both day
and night
Over every continent
and island
He keeps us in His
wondrous light
We give our praise without condition
Given freely to the
Lord on high
We sing it to the
highest heaven
Our hands held
reaching to the sky
Epiphany is a Christian festival in honour of
The coming of the Three Kings to the infant Lord,
The first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles
That celebrates the revelation of God in his Son
Known as the Day of the Lights or Three King’s Day
A sound like heaven
Sits softly on the ear
Every honey coated
word
Is a sweet souvenir
The joy of her touch
On my skin still
lingers
From her Porcelain
hands
And delicate fingers
Delicately scented
Like an exotic Rose
Still vividly resides
In the appreciative
nose
And the sight of her
Consummate beauty
Will occupy my dreams
For all eternity
The scroll of the seven seals
Rested in God's right
hand
Until he bade his son
The Lion of Judah
To break the first
seal
And the Lamb did so
And from the broken
seal
Appeared a white horse
Bearing the conqueror
Carrying a bow,
And wearing a victor's
crown
God then bade his son
The Lion of Judah
To break the second
seal
And the Lamb did so
And from the broken
seal
Appeared a red horse
Bearing the warrior
Carrying a sword
And wielding the power
To take peace from the world
God then bade his son
The Lion of Judah
To break the third
seal
And the Lamb did so
And from the broken
seal
Appeared a black horse
Bearing the bringer of
famine
Carrying a set of
scales
Finally, he bade his
son
The Lion of Judah
To break the fourth
seal
And the Lamb did so
And from the broken
seal
Appeared a pale horse
Bearing a rider called
death
With hell close behind him
With power over a quarter of the
earth
To kill by sword,
famine, plague,
And by the wild beasts
of the earth.
The four apocalyptic horsemen rode forth
On the charge of the dark brigade
At the end of his long life
A Godly man passes
into heaven
Where he sits with God
And revues their journey
again
While he looked back
Sitting at Gods right hand
He saw it represented
by
Two sets of footprints
in the sand
But he noticed that at
times
There was just one set
When he was at his
lowest
And he was very upset
So, he spoke to God
and asked
That in the scene he
was shown
Why at the hardest
times
He walked the path
alone
No, my son you are
mistaken
At those times God
said
I thought it would be
more fun
If we hopped instead
At Stonehenge, the druids
Exchange bodily fluids
At the temple to the
sun
As the solstice begun
Dressed up like loons
And barking at the
moon
