Tides

Canute sat down beside the sea

And waited for the tide

He knew what the result would be

Damp feet and ruined pride

The power of God is greater

Than any word of mine

The rule of kings is temporal

Everlasting the divine

 

Mary Whitehouse set herself

Against a coming tide

The break up of propriety

Old ways on the slide

Extreme rigidity gave way

Liberality came in

Anything goes the new watchword

And out went mortal sin

 

My old friend Alphonsus

A holy man indeed

Was summoned to the window

Vesuvius on the bleed

He raised his hand in blessing

The danger fell to fade

And people lived in safety

Because an old man prayed

 

Brian Fahy

30 March 2022

 

+ Tides of all kinds sweep across the world, tides of fashion and of politics, of philosophy and social behaviour. We cannot really stop a tide. They tend to wash through. But holy people help us navigate the surging tide and preserve our humanity.