It’s now the Christian season of Lent, the forty days of preparation beginning (roughly) with Shrove Tuesday/Ash Wednesday and finishing on Easter Sunday; and I have set myself the fairly ludicrous task of having, by the end of Lent, a collection of forty poems, one for each day of the season. I’ve got a head start, having written a few Lent-themed poems in the past which I plan to include. Yet, even with that on my side, it’s a pretty ambitious project and I’m not sure I’ll succeed. But hopefully there’ll be some good poetry produced along the way. Here is one to start us off. It’s entitled “Spring”, not because it’s Spring where I’m writing (in the southern hemisphere!) but because the word “Lent” is an old English word used for Spring or “lengthening of days”.

Spring

The days are lengthening,

The frost is thawing,

The sun’s rising early,

And you – you are praying.

Our heartbeats are pounding,

Our spirits are expecting,

The temperature is rising,

And you – you, lord, are sweating.

Lazarus is walking,

The palm branches are waving,

The crowds are a-stirring,

And you – my lord, you’re weeping.

The donkey’s feet are thudding,

The Hosannahs are resounding,

The High Priest’s men are rumbling,

And you – dear lord, you’re leaving.

The traitor’s scent is nearing,

The officers are all jeering,

The fig tree is not blooming,

But you, my lord, are bleeding, bleeding.

You, sweet prince, are bleeding.