Belief Too Brief

The Lincoln
By the cathedral
In Lincoln Central

The registrar edges
As the concierge
Walks by

Pledges are snapped
With a smile
And a firm handshake

That idea of time
With time in hand

The explanations
Worked through
Thoroughly

Briefs well briefed
The confidence trickster
Sticks

To the resolution
The institution
Quivers

At the recidivists
Procedures

Available on Kindle - Click Here

On Leaving Chapel

Sit down beside me
No more to it than that
Not for the moment

You pray, I meditate
I go where happenstance moves me
But what of you

I hear you talk of strength
I hear you talk of faith
I hear you talk of belief

With eyes partially closed
I see starlit flood plains of light
Glorious sunsets, wild waves crashing
Old lovers and kitchen sinks

Your visions, please tell
Are they divine
Are they modern
Where is their relevance centered

If you wish take the floor
Swirl, smile, dance if you care
You have my undivided attention

For now I ask only your explanation
No more to it than that
Later? Why yes
Then you may be more persuasive

Kindle link here

Fifteen Minutes Without Fame

Smile of stranger
Only that we haven't yet met
Raindrops on the settled surface
Sideways shadow of standing water wheel

Prayer gives her a certainty
So much is clear from her poise
As she straightens herself from kneeling
Moves from the pew towards the exit doorway

Something here is close to approaching silence
Shafts gathered of sunlit stained-glass light
Footsteps are taken with reverence
I am driven to quietly write

Always this place calms me, slows me for a purpose
He holds out his palms, peacefully offers what he can
The river flows outside, it may be explained by geologists
Gardens, where herbs grow, may be explained by horticulturalists

But this time on earth
To sit in silence for awhile
Who ought, or might take credit
For my indulgence, for my happiness

Kindle link here

Benedictine Gifts

Before I begin
A word of thanks
For the lamb and mint hotpot

I am carrying out a sort of social observation
Why so many visItors, by what chance
Why the coach-loads of believers
From Germany, and Dulwich, and France

For myself the sense of midnight
Betwixt today and tomorrow
No time, nor place, to speak of

Five AM Cantato's
That set up ones mind and body
Illuminate with the security of peace

Cross-table conversations
Echoed silence from the pews
Walls free of decoration
Respite from currency of news

Before I end
I want to say Amen
Without of any more understanding

Kindle link here

Continuum Of Purpose

Tread on, take small steps, no reason to stride out
Today is as yesterday, is as tomorrow, is as the day before
Time to reflect, sheltered by the hedgerow
Time to weigh up the pros and cons of being a vagrant
Time to be absorbed into the beauty of nature
Time, as if that alone, is the only thing given

Light came early, it is that time of year
The dawn chorus may awake you, sounds may disturb you
Yet how wonderful that you are able to name the species
How magical that they welcome you to their habitat
How near, or how far they swoop, or glide, or perch
How spirited they strut, and preen, and pounce

Tread on, warm yourself as the day rises
Warmth, coldness; to be entertained by the cycles
Play with shadows and grasses; sway, bow
Bend with all the flex that you might muster
Rock on the heels, and soles, of your well-worn feet
Balance the ground to the sky, and all that lies between

Light leaves late, it is the northern-hemispheres season
The sunsets, and cloud formations, may delight you
Yet how sad those long overcast evenings
How melancholic the loss of time to view
How far, so much further, are dark pasts recalled
How unbecoming; your anger, and your frown

Kindle link here