Today’s post is duplicated on both blogs. An earlier version of the poem appeared in the anthology, Tomorrow’s Harvest, Triumph House [Forward Press] 2000; subsequently, in my first poetry collection and on my general blog in 2007. I have only slightly revised it.
Now, you may well ask how I can write about angels when I am not even religious. Well, I happen to believe that much religious language is metaphor and/or mythology; the language of an ages-old philosophy rather than religion. I may often agree with the philosophy, but do not subscribe to the religion. [No offence intended to religious minded readers; it's just the way I am. As I have said many times on the blogs, our differences do not make us different, only human.]
Many of us like to think there is a Force for Good watching over us and inspiring us from within ourselves to not only survive the good and bad times but also come through them a better, hopefully wiser and stronger person than we started out. For some people, this Force for Good is God. For people like me, it is nature or Earth Mother.
Whatever, where angels or the like represent a guardian Force for Good in any language, I have no hesitation about including mention of them in a poem.
ANGEL WATCH, 2011 A.D.
Through a hole in the sky,
a star wishing Christmas
on a pair roasting chestnuts;
kids in the street below
grab all the comfort and joy
of innocence still going,
courtesy of Santa’s grotto
Light, cause for celebration.
Darkness, a natural diversion
if only for the duration;
a minute's silent prayer, for
poor souls everywhere
running for cover at Christmas;
(Sing, angel choirs!)
Hear tills ringing out Gloria
in the stores...
Mary and Joseph still banging
on doors...
Copyright R. N. Taber 2001; 2011
[Note: An earlier version of this poem appears in 1st eds. of Love And Human Remains by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2001; 2nd ed. in preparation.]
0 comments:
Post a Comment