The Darkest Day

 

The one on whom we pinned our hopes is now forever gone;
His broken, twisted corpse has shown all witnesses Rome won!
His promises of life and mercy clearly all a fraud,
Hide and lock yourselves away before you face a vicious sword!

What was he thinking? When they came he told us not to fight,
He surrendered with such calm, as if he controlled that night.
We could have made a break for it and seen another day,
With all the wonders that he worked, there had to be another way…

When he merely said his name, they all fell to the ground,
Wasn’t he supposed to clear the temple then be crowned?
Clearly not, no king would choose to die the way he did,
When morning comes it will be time that we all fled and hid.

Deny you ever knew him, or you’ll share his shameful fate;
Our home towns might just take us back, if it’s not too late.
Our women want to see the tomb, embalm his body right,
There they go, despite the gloom of dawn’s approaching light…

Different Eyes

This is one of the first songs I ever wrote, with a very simple haunting guitar accompaniment (stretching my very poor guitar skills to the limit). I was sure I had it written down somewhere but couldn’t find it, so have reconstructed it from what I remember. It is about Good Friday, which is today. If I can get them finished in time, I hope to have a poem about Easter Saturday up tomorrow, and one about Easter Sunday the day after, we’ll see how that goes. Continue reading

Far Above

 

Far above the haggard woe
Of life lived purely here below
That seeks to merely join the flow
Ignorant of heaven’s glow;

Unbounded joys and passions strong,
Glorious hopes for which we long
We ally with a holy throng
To put right what has gone so wrong

We walk a tightrope every day,
We treasures housed in pots of clay,
To keep desires most foul at bay
By following the narrow way.

We face our doubts, confront our fears,
Hear news unpleasant to our ears;
Times will come to shed great tears
In these dramatic holy years.

To those we hurt we make amends
Although truth oftentimes offends.
When evil’s dark deception ends
We’ll celebrate with our true friends.

Aflame with glory, clothed in white
Each heart will lift at the great sight
Of that vast city, shining bright
Filled with holy healing light.

Life in abundance evermore
We can’t imagine what’s in store
For those who worship and adore;
Come join us, always room for more.

Mum to Be

The talented artist who did the cover and internal artwork for Nobility Among Us has a birthday tomorrow and is expecting her first child after many years of longing for such a blessing, so here’s to you, Anna! (I don’t know if it’s going to be a boy or girl, so if it does turn out to be a girl, please replace all instances of his/him with her.)

Mum to Be

Mum to be at thirty-seven
Waiting for a piece of heaven
In human form to join the world
His beauty slowly here unfurled

Days of discomfort, restless nights,
Aching backs and little frights,
Hormones toss and turn your moods,
Grant appetites for curious foods.

At times you’ll feel you cannot cope;
Those storms will pass, do not lose hope.
Pain like you’ve never known will come
But then at last you’ll be a mum.

A look upon your baby sweet
Will fill your heart with love complete
The challenges have just begun
As you walk down the path marked “Mum”

Adventures, joys, discoveries
An album of sweet memories
And messes, tears and nappies piled
All worth it when you see him smile.

My Wife, the Hero

My wife is in the last month of her fifth pregnancy, so this one is for her:

My Wife, the Hero

Each day you do so much for us:
Driving our own family bus,
Cooking for our countless horde
Of boys who like to claim they’re bored.

Cleaning, sprucing, beautifying
Our home in all its calm-defying
Noise and bustle, schedules packed
Are somehow managed, well, in fact. Continue reading