A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to spend a few days at Yale University. It was a wonderful opportunity to be in the company of both theologians and poets. The host of the event was Christian Wiman, who teaches Literature and Religion at Yale Divinity School. In his book Hammer is theContinue reading “The Mole!”
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Nursery Rhymes
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe; Old mother Hubbard went to the cupboard; Humpty dumpty sat on a wall; All for the want of a nail the war was lost! Really, when you think about it these rhymes are not all lovely stories yet we have delighted in telling these rhymesContinue reading “Nursery Rhymes”
water is the finest drink
And soit has taken meall of sixty yearsto understandthat water is the finest drink,and bread the most delicious food,and that art is worthlessunless it plantsa measure of splendor in people’s hearts. The poem above is written by the Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali. Ali was born in 1931 in the Galilee village of Saffuriya. HeContinue reading “water is the finest drink”
It’s that time of year once again!
This is such a beautiful time of year and how I long for it year after year. At last the hot days of summer are past and the biting cold dark days of midwinter have not yet arrived. Readiness though is in the air, and the trees themselves are making ready as they shed theirContinue reading “It’s that time of year once again!”
Puddles!
Once again I am back again to the north west of England. Just due south of the Lake District is the great city of Manchester which is also known as one of the wettest places to live. To my shame, I do not have a collection of poems by the English poet Adrian Mitchell, 1932-2008.Continue reading “Puddles!”
A steady cadence.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending a few days in the south west corner of North Carolina. Renting a cabin in the woods in the Smoky Mountains provided a wonderful opportunity for walking in the woods. Many of my walks were made more pleasurable by the steady cadence of fast flowingContinue reading “A steady cadence.”
A Cord of Wood!
It’s that time of year once again. As the days turn a little colder and as leaves fall from the trees the sound emerges in the neighborhood of wood being chopped and stacked. Wood burning fires inside and out, are being prepared to offer welcome and warmth as the nights draw in! Many years agoContinue reading “A Cord of Wood!”
To a Mouse
On the last page of the October issue of The Atlantic there is a lovely story by staff writer James Parker, Ode to Squirrels. Here is an excerpt as he talks to the squirrel as it evades his dog “You evade him always, corkscrewing around a tree trunk or dancing ninjalike along a fence. HisContinue reading “To a Mouse”
Blowing in the Wind!
The painter, Peter Brook (1927-2009) spent his life in Yorkshire. His parents were farmers, he became a school teacher but spent much of his time observing and painting the ordinary everyday scenes of life. Many of his painting are of the beautiful Pennine landscape, especially in winter. Most of his small painting also feature hisContinue reading “Blowing in the Wind!”
“Sing them into love, little by little”
This month marks the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death. His great tour de force The Divine Comedy explores the afterlife after he finds himself alone in a deep wood. The poem explores at length the challenges and encounters of the soul through Hell, Purgatory and eventually Paradise. Written when Dante was 35, the middle yearContinue reading ““Sing them into love, little by little””
Prayers, Poems, and Christian Ponderings 