Prophesy

Confluence bleeds
blue electric flame
till soul and spirit
breathe the same

from harvest cutting
Sharons long stemmed rose

to midnight shining
Southern Cross

street lamps line the path
His kingdom came.

Weeds whisper
as they toss
intimations
to the wind

and rattle
dry seed pods
as if promises
from pagan gods.

I heard them rustling sigh

"Our weakest are the first
to die
first to rise again"

in floral descant to what
the dusty weed-straw
chorus said:

"Valley-lily somewhere by
is Balm in Gilead

there is a Balm
in Gilead."

Advent

Longing is a wind-blown feather,
wafted softly,
landed when disappearing
distant sails of your ship,
gulls white wings winking,
setting sun reflecting,
vanished into sea-sky folding,

Now all creation groaning,
the kingdom yearning,
throne of thrones,
empty till your returning.

How quietly first you came
to Bethlehem stable,
quietly, a candle
set the world ablaze.

Quietly by miracle amaze,
furiously craze the synagogue
police
who crucified you to their gnashing
teeth scream spittle,
wielding for God’s law implacable
His jot and His tittle.

Spoiled death and decay
by resurrection,

now you’re gone,

so much undone,

Longing, landing like a feather,
breaks the world,
lifted when I glimpse
interim, here and there,
your likeness
in your adopted children.

Quietly to Bethlehem you came,
but trumpeted with shouts of men and angels
riding clouds of glory
you said the spectacle shall be
when you return.

And who shall stand?
my longing love,
who shall presume to stand?

While Looking Up

Foment in us
Fell photons of your light
That we might walk nonplussed
Lightfully as your sons,
Bear your blinding name
Through battlefields of night,
Redeemed among your holy ones,
Delivered from star-fallen shame,
Shackles broken,
Slavery undone,
Knees new fallen,
We stammer troth,
In fealty kindled
By your Love's forgiving flame.

"All My Springs Are In Thee" Psalm 87:7

In so many deep and hidden ways,
Your one spring flows
Near the seekers cottage,
Whose thirst shall always
Be quenched.

If the source cannot be removed,
Though an enemy has tried,
Neither can the subterranean
Watering of Your fertile valleys and hills.

Forever Your thoughtful ones,
Galaxy wide,
Shall be more than satisfied,
Secretly
From its myriad
crystal flowing.

Alpha And Omega

To you for whom nothing is true,
Except that nothing is true,
Which you firmly hold to be true
Like you hold nothing else,
Shall suddenly come,
The Morning Star,
The End and the Beginning,
Now you can choose.

Or be post-modern and refuse,
Before He appears,
your fears
Beginning,
End.

Your Love

To what shall I liken your love?
Still as  silent water
Stretched in sleep beneath your trees,
Reflecting sky and forest shadows,
Filled with life, fish and water fowl,
Insect and all pond dependent life.

Nesting birds enjoy your love
From generation to generation.
Your love,
Supple as the bending reed and strong
As the weeping willow is strong,
soft as downy chicks,
Woven and soaked into the fabric
Scaffolding and soft warm flesh and skin
Of all you have made.

This one love begins and ends with you.
We are born to enter in.

Loves we have derived from your one love,
But they are false and lead to death,
An immitation that cannot sustain the part,
That offer plastic chiton and exoskeleton,
sharp edges and corners,
Stone pride, slashing hate, burning anger,
hasty sketches
For the sinusoidal,
curvacious beauty only your love has made.

Nuturing love, naturally from you,
It is who you are, making us thankful,
secure,
Who you are,
Making you vulnerable
To our twisted borrowings,
Our killing derivitives.

You chose that route,
Our love crossed you,
But you are the greater love,
Stronger than death.

We watched you rise
From our sorry grave,
Rise and rise
As your tsunami
Swept the world.

You say you will return.
In whose love
Will you find us living then?

Easter From The Far Side Of The Moon

I can read and write, but first mind is dark,
So small my God in my understanding
Among the destination stars that mark
The night sky, crowded with angels landing
And ascending in casual traffic,
Intergalactic guardians intent
On serving Him, everywhere the graphic
Cross symbol raised for those who will repent,
Enter the mysterium of power,
Resonating, irresistible love,
That word again, for this love doth flower
Galaxies from atoms, from couples, trove
Human populations whose swift wheels turn
By resurrection loves renewing burn.

Evensong

We are slain by fear of death,
Yet death died for all in Him,

In Him we rise when morning dawns.

Wind rises, falls in forests dark and thoughtful,
Evening vespers in the leaves of trees,
Singing like the sea.

A choir of voices in the stone chapel
Worship the Lord of new day,
Day that is past and tomorrow that shall come.

Be with us tonight as we sleep

Be with us tomorrow as we rise

We sing amen upon this day,
Thank-you and amen.

Tonight as we sleep,
between the alleluia and the alleluia,
fill our sleeping dreams.

Building A Church

Come, stone upon stone, then lay the timbers,
Freshly cut cedars from the hills around,
Pause in the labour, gaze on the harbours
Calm waters from this hillside looking down,
A church on a hill, we build it with love,
Come, you are welcome, we all volunteer,
Worship with hammer and saw, ragged glove,
What skills we possess are all welcome here.
Now lift up the tall walls, and brace them square,
Then we'll hoist roof beams with a hired crane,
Roof members uniting high in the air,
Church members uniting, pray for no rain,
Hammering shingles with unbroken praise,
Steeple bell ringing, our faces ablaze!

Easter Victory

Some war is not rapid-fire, nor cyber,
Nor martial arts, breaking bones, strikes of pain,
Nor greater grit, tougher moral fibre
Wins the battle, victory to attain,
A cross on Golgatha stands forever,
The tomb is empty, the stone out of play,
A battle was fought and won that never
Fired a bullet nor blew cities away,
Death sank cowering in utter defeat
A kingdom descended, a city of light
Darkness scattered in glorious retreat
The risen Redeemer now throned in might
Death bloody killed, prison served, justice done,
Let Easter peaceful dawn, no firing gun.