IN THE QUIET MOMENTS

 

In the quiet moments

I can’t remember my father’s face

I try and try but it escapes me

It seems to shift in my mind’s eye

Snippets of familiarity

Many facets blurring into one

Almost pixelated image

Until now I’ve never understood why

It’s because in my memory

He had more than one face

There was the proud father face

The joyful Christmas morning face

The grumpy morning after face

The scolding face

The smiling face

The sad face

And for each of these faces

As we both grew older

There were age groups

He had to many faces to remember just one

So now when I want to see his face

I think of a situation and there he is

WHEN MOTHER NATURE DONS

 

When Mother Nature dons

Her spring gown of splendour

She decorates with beauties

Normally reserved for heaven

And bestows upon the earth

Those perfect gifts from God

I HAVE ALWAYS HAD FAITH

I have always had faith

An unaccountable

Unshakable faith

But only in God

My faith in him

Was a constant

The only constant

In an uncertain world

 

It was the Church

I had no truck with

My faith did not extend

To the institution

Of the Church

Or its instruments

Its rituals and

Mechanisms of control

 

I have no issue with

The Church family

Well-meaning folk

One and all

Doing the great things

And the small with equal relish

They are just not for me

 

I chose to worship alone

Just me and my God

My Church was a quiet wood

My Cathedral a hilltop

 

So, to stand before the cross

In the old Chapel

Was a departure for me

A departure from the norm

But exceptional circumstances

Called for exceptional measures

It was an old place

An ancient place

A powerful place

A conduit to God

To amplify my faith

 

So, I fell to my knees

In the ancient chapel

Humbling myself

Before my God

And I prayed

THE CHOIRS OF HEAVENLY HOSTS

 

The Choirs of Heavenly hosts

The angels, Archangels

Principalities and Authorities

The Virtues, Dominions,

Thrones or Orphanim

The Cherubim and Seraphim

The Holy Spirit

My lord Jesus Christ

And the Heavenly Father

Protect me all my days

I DIDN’T SAY WHY ME?

 

When I was first diagnosed

I didn’t say why me?

I didn’t blame God

I didn’t curse him

Or hate him

Or ask the question

Why me Lord?

All my life

I have been blessed

And when good things

Happened in my life

I didn’t say “why me?”

THE GOOD BOOK

 

The good book

A trusty tome

Full of comfort and succour

Hope and salvation

A reliable companion

A stalwart in adversity

A true bestseller

Sometimes contentious

Often misquoted

Frequently misused,

The devout and the atheist

Quote in equal measure

From its voluminous pages

They scour and pillage

Cherry picked passages

To support a particular stance

At times it can even satisfy

Both sides of the same argument

Inclusive and accessible to all

In the right hands

It illuminates and empowers

In the wrong hands

It divides and imposes

The bible in truth

Is full of ambiguities

And numerous contradictions

But most important of all

It contains essential truths

NEWLANDS CORNER

 

Newlands Corner

Is one of my most favourite places

I’ve always loved it there

When I look out across the patchwork

Of rolling Surrey Hills,

The chalk grasslands

The ancient woodlands

And the villages nestling there

I feel a deep calm and peace

Penetrating my soul

It’s almost overwhelming

Like the weight of the world

Is lifted from my shoulders

As if His hand on my shoulder