Poet's Shed: Week 5

Week 5 – 28th April 2020
written and read by Frank Scammell

 The Beech Spring

When the beech wood
Turns to leaf
We know there is
Life again
Somehow.

The bare branches had stood
Like silent soldiers
With no hint of colour.
Now even the sun
Enjoys this burst
Of pastel green
Playfully dancing shapes

In the breeze.
We can breathe deeply again
For there is at last
Another day to live.

 Incarnation

 He draws alongside
To fill up humanity
By letting glory go.
He identifies, simplifies.
He models vulnerability
Not power.
He reveals richness
In poverty.
His hands are open
Not closed.
He channels God to us
And us to God.
He speaks God
For he is God.
He is Father loved
And Spirit driven.
He is in history
And forever.
He is Creator
And created.
He can be known
But unknown still.
He is the true
Turning point of time.
He shows fullness
In emptiness
Hope in despair.
He is both question
And the answer.
By gift and grace
My Lord and King
My Saviour and my Friend.

The Repair Shop

A good, good friend came round
And gifted me his cross.
Take it wherever you go
Was his command.
At first I could obey
But more and more it’s weight
Began to bear me down.

 To the Repair Shop I did take this cross
That place of seasoned crafts.
What’s your story?
Tell your tale.
What can we do for you?
This cross is a gift
From a special friend
But I’m finding it hard to hold.
It’s too heavy, ugly, rough and coarse.
I stand out from the crowd.

 Certainly we’ll give it polish
Smooth the edges,
Make it lighter for you to bear.
We’ll paint it thick with varnish.
You’ll see your own reflection there
And forget that cross of old.

 Day came when my friend returned.
Give back the gift I gave.
I passed it over pensively
And waited for his word.
Our eyes met. I heard his voice.
But where’s my splintered cross?