Italo, I have often had this dream: A bookshop winds on spiral stairs, with shelves Inviting eager eyes to search for names And spines which lie, “Yes, I am here; it’s me.” Italo, in my dream it always seems That though my search for perfect books will delve Across each shelf, the titles play theseContinue reading “Book Travellers: For Italo Calvino”
Category Archives: Poetry
“She pondered all these things in her heart” (After Luci Shaw’s “Mary Considers Her Situation”)
The virgin sat,the angel’s wordsshimmering around the room. She fancied now that Danielmight have shared her trembling heartwhen Gabriel had spoken truth which did not fully sooth. The prophets spoke of shoots from stumpsand virgins bearing Israel’s sign,and yet she’d never heard her name connected with such wondrous things,too wonderful for her to bearand truthsContinue reading ““She pondered all these things in her heart” (After Luci Shaw’s “Mary Considers Her Situation”)”
My Cup Overflows
Too good, my God, the way You hold my sliding self in You, too good the way you lavish love, too good the way You chide. Too soft, my God, Your voice, Your touch, and yet You thunder truth; too faint, sometimes, the hand that guides and yet Your all abounds in always-hoping, patient kindness,Continue reading “My Cup Overflows”
Messiah
I was not ready: You came when I was sleeping, At my least expected midnight. Reality shook – this veil we call “The way things are”; angels sang And shepherds danced, but I – Exhausted by normality – Dozed while, in a baby’s cry, Four hundred years of silence found Their end-point in this night.
Jacaranda
Uncommonly strong, it stays purple, while elsewhere the street is lined with debris from seasons which the trees soon forgot. Confused fig-leaves turn golden, drop to the ground as rain gushes gutters and sunscreen, umbrellas, opposites, swap in uncertain hands – yet lilac and stoic at the end of my street Jacaranda declares it isContinue reading “Jacaranda”
Uncertainty (After Luci Shaw’s “The Annunciatory Angel”)
As we begin the season of Advent, I thought it would be fitting to begin with some Advent-themed poems. The first is based on Luci Shaw’s “The Annunciatory Angel”, which itself is a response to Fra Angelico’s painting “The Annunciation”. Though inspired by Shaw’s poem, I have gone back to the original painting and writtenContinue reading “Uncertainty (After Luci Shaw’s “The Annunciatory Angel”)”
With reverent fear
In this you greatly rejoice, though for now Your life flits by, empty at times, sometimes glad. And in these days, though you furrow your brow, The breeze on your face can still lift up the sad, And music is sweet, and the grace that is seen Falls likewise on righteous, unrighteous, Both blesses theContinue reading “With reverent fear”
12 Poets: Goodbye and Hello
Well, on this final day of November it’s time to say goodbye to Denise Levertov, the lovely Anglo-American poet that we have been exploring this month. In lieu of an essay on her work, here is a link to the last interview she gave which I think gives a better insight into her work thanContinue reading “12 Poets: Goodbye and Hello”
Pass By In Safety
The earth is full of snares and lies, My child, my child, my fragile child, With many dreams that take your eyes – My child, my child, be true. The path is wide, the road feels smooth, My child, my child, my trusting child, Yet easy roads evade the truth – My child, my child,Continue reading “Pass By In Safety”
Guilt (After Denise Levertov’s “Adam’s Complaint”)
With November nearly over, it’s time for my final tribute to the poetry of Denise Levertov. This one is inspired by her simple but stark masterpiece, “Adam’s Complaint“, one of Levertov’s many creative entries into the inner workings of Biblical narratives. My poem looks at the same story from a slightly different angle. Guilt (AfterContinue reading “Guilt (After Denise Levertov’s “Adam’s Complaint”)”
The Consolations of Writing 