Tomorrow is the day the Anglican calendar remembers Mary and Martha, the sisters in Bethany who were close friends of Jesus. But tomorrow is a Sunday so I will have another poem to write then, so they can have their poem today. All That Was Needed The hired wailers were doing their work and thoughContinue reading “All That Was Needed (For Mary and Martha of Bethany)”
Author Archives: Matthew Pullar
The Last Friday of July
My friend E., visiting from Kyrgyzstan and doing a day of emergency teaching while here, was chatting to me while I stood in the quadrangle outside the canteen, my duffle coat barely warding off the cold of the day as I did lunchtime yard duty. E. began to express her dislike of the weather; thisContinue reading “The Last Friday of July”
Untitled Poem
I came to the garden and sat for a while to look on the flowers and smell the fresh soil; the air of my contemplation was still and the blossoms and petals were silent. The day was pregnant from seeds of toil and the earth ready-made for the farmers to till, sending in momentary gustsContinue reading “Untitled Poem”
One Son of Thunder (For James, Apostle and Martyr)
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. AndContinue reading “One Son of Thunder (For James, Apostle and Martyr)”
The Triumph of Time
TIME: I that please some, try all; both joy and terror Of good and bad; that makes and unfolds error, Now take upon me, in the name of Time, To use my wings. (William Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale) When Perdita, the shepherdess, proves to be a fair princess, we are not at all surprised: sheContinue reading “The Triumph of Time”
Magdala (For the Feast of Mary Magdalene
After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, theContinue reading “Magdala (For the Feast of Mary Magdalene”
The Shepherd’s Dwelling
Listen – The shepherd has come, the true shepherd who will not lead us down false paths or beside wild streams nor through fields of brown; The shepherd has come, the shepherd who dwells among his sheep, who leads them only in good paths and gives them rest. Listen – He has seen us, sheepContinue reading “The Shepherd’s Dwelling”
Winter’s Child
Winter’s Child Into this world in bitter cold – Brother and sister rosy-cheeked Fresh from playing in the snow, A luxury, a game to them; My screams perhaps a little louder For the blast of Ballarat cold Upon my newly disclosed flesh, The summer of my mother gone – (In this weather there is nothingContinue reading “Winter’s Child”
100 Words for Sleep
An ocean of sound waves in whelming rhythm; A lounge-room full of inviting chairs; The lightness of a dumbbell, The weight of a wafer; A lullaby, A symphony; The distance from inside to The furthest place away from day; A tower of the smallest seeds; A firm and delicate soft thing; A consuming embrace, AContinue reading “100 Words for Sleep”
Ants Around the Basin
These travellers must have come from arid lands, Drawn as they are to the flood-plains here Where splashes from ablutions fall In puddles where these ants may drink. Tenacious, they hold to their collective purpose; Though I swipe at them daily with moistened rag, Their kin replace them unabashed by the evening Like small settlersContinue reading “Ants Around the Basin”
The Consolations of Writing 