My king, the heavens were your throne, your seat. The task beneath us, we shuffled in our pride; All things beneath you, you God washed our feet. Undignified, so lowly, indiscrete! What, Rabbi, wash our feet? we all decried. My king, the heavens were your throne, your seat… With thrones to claim and enemies toContinue reading “Love to the End”
Tag Archives: villanelle
The Lesson (After W.H. Auden’s “But I Can’t”)
One of W.H. Auden’s greatest gifts as a poet was his versatility, being one of the major figures in the 20th century for resurrecting a wide range of traditional poetic forms. He was as comfortable with free verse as he was with long-forgotten French forms. His masterly villanelle, “But I Can’t” – an achingly simpleContinue reading “The Lesson (After W.H. Auden’s “But I Can’t”)”
He that made the ear (After George Herbert’s “Longing”)
My last George Herbert-inspired poem is a bit different to the other three. This time I have decided to use just two lines from his poem, “Longing”, as the stimulus for my own poem: Lord heare! Shall he that made the ear Continue reading “He that made the ear (After George Herbert’s “Longing”)”
The Consolations of Writing 