“It’s true: the Author of life lay dead, Lay three days inside death’s tomb, The Righteous and the Holy One Made Himself an offering to Ignorant, unrighteous men Who knew not what they did. It’s true, for we are witnesses; We saw Him breathe and saw Him die And sawContinue reading “Author of Life (Thursday in Easter Week)”
Category Archives: Poetry
Breaking Bread, Mending Bones (Wednesday in Easter Week)
We had seen him do the same as this – men on mats, lame from their birth, men born blind, women who bled, rubbing mud into their eyes, ordering their legs, Continue reading “Breaking Bread, Mending Bones (Wednesday in Easter Week)”
A new project and an invitation
Those of you who have been following The Consolations of Writing for a while now will be aware that for the last year I have been working on a poetry project involving writing a poem for each day in the Anglican liturgical calendar. It’s been a mammoth task, but, with over 200 poems written, theContinue reading “A new project and an invitation”
Resurrection
Of course it breaks our categories and makes our minds explode; the truth does not sit neat in packages and kernels break in soil. If it fractures logic, let it; it drives the doubting to their knees while those who saw the proof’s flesh doubted and those who saw the tomb ran home. Continue reading “Resurrection”
Repentance (Tuesday in Easter Week)
“Let the house of Israel know!” He cried, and cut them to the heart Who, guilt of Adam in their bones, Had hammered in the nails. “What should we do?” they cried in fear, Seeing their hands at the cross, Their sins like thieves at Jesus’ side, Their voices raised to crucify. “Repent,”Continue reading “Repentance (Tuesday in Easter Week)”
In the Shadow
One of my favourite passages in the Bible is Psalm 91, with its beautiful opening statement that “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most Hight / will rest in the shadow of the Almighty”. Here is a poem that I have written based around that psalm – the next in the series ofContinue reading “In the Shadow”
Resurrection Virelai (Monday in Easter Week)
See Him arise Much brighter than the skies Victory in the eyes Of great David’s greater Son… He breaks the stones of lies, Unties The shackles we put on; Dark Hades He defies, Decries The plots of the shame-faced ones. Before their eyes He takes His rightful prize, Swift, majestic, like the sun. Continue reading “Resurrection Virelai (Monday in Easter Week)”
The Slow Dawning Part 4: The Emmaus Walk (Easter Day)
Day ending, night on its way, they walk, Hearts thick with the talk of the days before, Of expectation reversed and destroyed, Disappointment turned to confusion, To rumours and gossip of empty tombs. A stranger walks beside them, asking for news. Yet he knows the story from its genesis And shows them snakes crushedContinue reading “The Slow Dawning Part 4: The Emmaus Walk (Easter Day)”
The Slow Dawning Part 3: The Empty Tomb (Easter Day)
Eyes cannot trust what they see, for here He sees the place where the body lay, Sees the cloths that should have bound him, Sees the certainty of light and sees the day, Yet sees no body trapped within this tomb. Run home, for this makes no sense. It stands Against all that youContinue reading “The Slow Dawning Part 3: The Empty Tomb (Easter Day)”
The Slow Dawning Part 2: The Gardener (Easter Day)
Outside weeping, for this makes no sense, Dawn slowly clawing its way out of the sky, Mary’s name dropping from the stranger’s lips, Mary’s eyes blinking open at the sound, While Peter, in the background, runs home, confused. Rabbouni! The disciple’s earnest, light-bulb cry, Arms wrapped around the one who had been lost; TheContinue reading “The Slow Dawning Part 2: The Gardener (Easter Day)”
The Consolations of Writing 