John Masefield was born on June 1st, 1878 in Hertfordshire, England. By the age of six he was an orphan and was cared for by an aunt who tried her best to discourage him from his addiction to reading! He left school and trained for a life at sea. The photo above shows HMS ConwayContinue reading “Sea-Fever”
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Alterations!
A few weeks ago I was browsing through the library “stacks” at Webster University, in St. Louis, and I pulled from the shelf a book of Selected Poems by John N. Morris (1931-1997). This was a new find for me and what makes it even more interesting is that Morris taught at Washington University, hereContinue reading “Alterations!”
Rising Out of The Mist
To stand at what might be described as “the worlds great margins” is to stand in the midst of wonder, mystery and beauty of the world. To gaze over the rim of the Grand Canyon, to stand listening to the “smoke that thunders” as the mighty Zambezi river plunges into a vertical chasm or indeedContinue reading “Rising Out of The Mist”
Digging
Seamus Heaney’s first published book of poems was in 1966 and the opening poem in that collection was Digging. The same poem is the opening poem in a much later collection of his poetry entitled “Opened Ground” in 1998. Heaney certainly opens ground throughout his life, as he digs with his pen. As he sitsContinue reading “Digging”
On Waking
In his short book Essentials, the philosopher come poet, David Whyte, writes a beautiful poem which asks us to pause and ponder before we rush into the new day. He draws attention to that moment of waking and what is actually going on within our bodies and mind. In the cover flap of this bookContinue reading “On Waking”
“Look”
Although the Christian Church, of all shapes and shades, of all hues of holiness, has just celebrated Easter Resurrection, sadness still prevails. Our world is in chaos and crisis brought on by our inhumanity to one another. Democratic institutions seem unable and sadly unwilling to be democratic. Therefore, today I am turning on a muchContinue reading ““Look””
“A Thin Place”
The poet Robert Crawford describes the Isle of Iona, in the inner Hebrides, as a place where“spirit, imagination, and physical exertion mingle” The photograph above is of the replica of St. John’s Cross. The original high cross stood on Iona from the the late 7th century, and today fragments of this original cross can beContinue reading ““A Thin Place””
Imagin’d Corners!
John Donne (1573-1631) died on March 31st 1631 – a mere 392 years ago at the age of 58. None of his poetry was published until after his death. A large part of his life was lived consumed by his own thoughts of mortality and death. The last 10 years of his life he wasContinue reading “Imagin’d Corners!”
It’s a long way off, but
The KingdomIt’s a long way off but inside itThere are quite different things going on:Festivals at which the poor manIs king and the consumptive isHealed; mirrors in which the blind lookAt themselves and love looks at themBack; and industry is for mendingThe bent bones and the minds fractured By life. It’s a long way off, butContinue reading “It’s a long way off, but”
“Fluttering and dancing in the breeze”
It is once again that wonderful time of year when daffodils abound. The photo above is Ullswater Lake in the Lake District in northern England. It was while walking home to Grasmere along with his sister Dorothy that William Wordsworth enjoyed a host of golden daffodils. In fact it is Dorothy who writes in herContinue reading ““Fluttering and dancing in the breeze””
Prayers, Poems, and Christian Ponderings 