12 Poets #7: W.H. Auden

As September draws to a close, it’s time to prepare for another poet, and I’m fairly excited about this one. When I first began writing poetry, I must admit that most of what I wrote was quite shamelessly ripping off 20th-century English poet W.H. Auden. While I’ve moved on to other poets, my years ofContinue reading “12 Poets #7: W.H. Auden”

The Fig-Tree and the Worm

When complaint has its basis in the nature of the divine,            appealing to justice and mercy and truth,                         waiting for signs which tarry now yet                         will come without delay,            when complaining stands                       atContinue reading “The Fig-Tree and the Worm”

Disembarking: A Terminal Sonnet

Bad coffee drunk at airport terminal’s Faint consolation for delays in flight, When failing air-con gives pilots a fright, And back we go to slow departure halls, Disembarking and delayed. It’s small – A First World problem, as they say; tonight I should still be in Queensland: when all’s right With aircraft safety, we’ll stillContinue reading “Disembarking: A Terminal Sonnet”

Immanence

What churches, prisons, feudal pyramids Possess in common is Authority. Only the state’s power, not the State, exists, And power is exchanged through you and me. Our eyes, transfixed by prison walls, confuse The institution with the power it holds Mixing correct use up with the abuse And sovereign love with the despot who scolds.Continue reading “Immanence”

Marianne Moore: The Poet Who Disliked Poetry

Coming unbelievably to the end of another month, it is time for me to draw to a close my study of Marianne Moore’s work. To finish it off, here is an essay I have written on her poetry – a rich and fascinating body of work which I often do not understand but am alwaysContinue reading “Marianne Moore: The Poet Who Disliked Poetry”

Creator’s Sabbath

Today’s poem comes with acknowledgement to Professor John Walton, whose teaching on Genesis 1 and the meaning of God resting on the seventh day completely turned my thinking on its head – in a wonderful way.   Creator’s Sabbath   Do you suppose He rested because             the six days’ labour had worn Him out,Continue reading “Creator’s Sabbath”