Friday 18 October 2013

TABLE FOR TWO

She sets a table
For two at Christmas
Though she lives alone
And no other is expected

Maybe her husband or daughter
Or both will come
From beyond

Perhaps the Lord himself
Will fulfil his revelation
And knock on her door today
In a way not done before

To take His place more tangibly
In the kitchen of her soul

She is prepared for the unexpected
Just in case

ISLAND


Autumn will be all but over  
When I return the leaves will have 
Fallen and it will be colder

There is something cleansing 
About leaving, separation  
The cloistering

Take-off lets me let go 
And I don’t remember 
The September air of home

Wholly present to now

It’s the islands that occupy me 
Completely appealing 
Compelling

There’s an island in me
Not remote nor far from land 

An island and a separateness

And as soon as I am aware
That the island is not remote
I know 

That I must journey
To the remote recesses
Of the inner and eternal

CONFIDENCE




With the first 
Confidence of a child

No baggage yet
To speak of and still
Not named

No reason to be afraid
Now is where he lives
Right now there is

Nothing else

The heaving sea
Surging with trechery
Magnificent in its moment

Dreadful
Absolutely admirable

Co-operate
Go with it

Eyes vigilant
Trained on the destination
Riding it mastering
The fear of it

Trembling to the thrill
Doing what you cannot
Delving into resources
Not known until tried

I AM (Mystery)


I scrabble for words 
To give expression
Of who I am

The what and the how
Of this life

But all the tongues
Of the world would not
Speak it in its fullness

I am mystery
Unfathomable even
To myself

The root and mood
Are sung in songs

Of outer space
On hot August nights

Soul tugged upward
To the orbit of its belonging

My home ever a temporary
Dwelling place

An emptiness deep
That clings tenaciously
Daring me to let go

Knowing that I will not

That I am chosen for it
And I have chosen

The infinity of whom
It speaks and in whom
I am mirrored

Tuesday 1 October 2013

SNOW ON WINTER WATER

Snow on winter water
White on white surf tumbles

Frothing
Unbearable cold

Laughing children
Do not mind

Their voices rising
Over thunder

While Rufus follows
Every stranger
Seeking out the playful