A powerful man
Brought low by a dancing girl
And by the thought
What others would think of him
And withal a ruthless tyrant
Willing to kill his sons
And kill a holy man
Tricked by a woman’s wiles
But he cannot suppress his conscience
No matter how he tries
He hears of Jesus
Thinks John again to rise
For evil never lets us rest
Torments our inner soul
Our origin is goodness
Our sin as black as coal
I read of Robert Napper
And the evil he has done
I read about his childhood
Evil under the sun
All sin is a contagion
This is our concern
Those who have evil done to them
Do evil in return
Brian Fahy
3 February 2023
+ Just as our goodness and wellbeing can be traced back to the love of our parents and family – we have been nurtured into goodness – so when individuals commit evil crimes, we can trace the story of their fall from grace in their personal experience and development. Responsibility is not simply to be ascribed to a perpetrator, but also to others whose neglect and harmful ways have helped to drive a person into dark deeds.
Today the gospel tells the story of King Herod executing John the Baptist. Last night I watched the story how the killer of Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common was caught.
Erris Poetry 