Windowsill

With folded arms on my windowsill,

I gaze at a starlit sky so still.

Amidst the awe of wishful wonder,

A question, there, I pose and ponder:

If the autumn moon that gives such light

were the eye of He who gave me sight,

then would He not see a sheep asleep

while children die and mother's weep?

And if glimmering stars were angel bands

that laid to waste a wasteful man,

would I not pray that they be blind

to those I've harmed or left behind?

With folded arms on my windowsill,

I saw a tree in the farmer's field

The winter winds had stripped the oak

And, as I believed, I thought and spoke:

If winter winds, in all their might,

lay bare the oaks and fold their height,

then gone would be the leaves of deeds

that hide my thoughts of lust and greed.

And if trees that grow and bear their fruit

were saints that live and speak the truth,

then I would be a withered tree

with bitter fruit and wilted leaves.

[mrmonk]

Much to admire here, dude...this is the sort of verse I enjoy reading in my leisure. Thank you for continuing to post.

[Hidden in reply to mrmonk]

Thank you, sir. And you're welcome. There's plenty more where that came from, lol.

[mrmonk in reply to Hidden]

Are these poems you're currently writing, or are they older compositions?

[Hidden in reply to mrmonk]

This one is older. I touched it up a bit, though. It was originally entitled "Withered Tree" and didn't have the first stanza of the two parts. I added that a few months ago. But, yeah, they're older poems.

[Hidden in reply to mrmonk]

"Safe Haven" was written about a month ago.

[Hidden in reply to mrmonk]

A lot of people don't respond to these because my Faith, I suppose, and the rhyming format. It seems to be the kind of poetry that some would say is outdated. I think I like it that much more for that reason, lol.

[mrmonk in reply to Hidden]

Are you familiar with the poetry of Sir John Betjeman?

[Hidden in reply to mrmonk]

Never heard of him. I'm gonna look him up now.

[mrmonk in reply to Hidden]

He's a 20th century English poet who wrote verse in a kind of anachronistic style that recalled pre-modern British poetry. His poems were often about his faith and his struggles with faith. You may like him.

As a reader of poetry, he is my favorite poet.

He's also my HealthUnlocked avatar.

[Hidden in reply to mrmonk]

Just read "The Arrest of Oscar Wilde.." Loved it.

[mrmonk in reply to Hidden]

Oh, I can recite that from memory (and have at many a poetry reading)! "He sipped at a weak hock and seltzer..."

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Do you have any preferences?

[mrmonk in reply to Hidden]

Oh there are SO many good ones...Let's see, for starters..."A Subaltern's Love Song," "Death in Leamington," "Diary of a Church Mouse," "False Security," "Remorse" ... oh, dude, I could go on and on...

[mrmonk in reply to Hidden]

Fun fact: Betjeman's poem, "Slough," was famously quoted by David Brent, the character played by Ricky Gervais, on the British version of the television show, The Office.

[Hidden in reply to mrmonk]

Didn't know that.

[mrmonk in reply to Hidden]

Some other favorites: "The Cottage Hospital," "St. Saviour’s, Aberdeen Park, Highbury, London, N.," "Five o’clock Shadow," "Loneliness," "Devonshire Street W.1," "In a Bath Teashop," "Pot Pourri from a Surrey Garden," "The Licorice Fields at Pontefract," "The Heart of Thomas Hardy," "Archibald," "The Last Laugh" and so many more...

[Hidden in reply to mrmonk]

Right on, man. I'll look into it.