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Luke 10:38-42   Billy Connelly began his life as an entertainer by singing and playing music, but he quickly discovered that his gift for telling stories was his true talent. What began as giving introductions to songs suddenly became the main programme. The songs got shorter and the storytelling longer. People loved it and BillyContinue reading “Tell Me A Story”

People deny the wrong they do Blank blot out don’t see Private wrongs are hidden away I am presentable me   Until I have to stand in court And face the evidence The public knowledge of my deeds The shame of my offence   I saw interrogation true A policeman brings to light All theContinue reading “The Break of Day”

My son is my anchor. Now in my old age I anchor myself to my son. He is my flesh and blood. I love him most of all in all the world, though love is not a competition. Today my son has left the country: But not for long. He has crossed the border intoContinue reading “Anchor”

My father was in hospital four days before he died. When he died I didn’t know I had so many tears. I cried a waterfall. My mammy pushed a hanky over towards me, and misunderstanding her kind gesture, I shouted at her, ‘Leave me be. Let me cry.’ My father’s dying was the first closeContinue reading “Faithful Servant”

When I was a young priest, sometime in the 1970s, I was sent on a parish mission somewhere in the south of England. I visited an old lady, a widow, who in my memory was dressed in black lace. She had grown up in aristocratic circles, her family in the diplomatic service, and in theContinue reading “Impressions”

No wrongdoing goes unpunished The pain is in the deed Even if the law does not catch you Even if you escape imprisonment Even if you are never brought to trial You do not escape scot-free   Misery will haunt your days Your soul is lost to joy Happiness has left your house No longerContinue reading “Soul Searching”

  My house is a Scriptorium A silent writing place A medieval monk am I In a quiet writing space Marks I make on paper Biro now my quill Words to leave for others to read When all my days are still   The garden gate engraved ‘aged 9’ Penknife now my pen ‘BF’ scoredContinue reading “Written In Heaven”

When Word War One ended It didn’t end Years of silent sorrow came Then years of poverty And Germany down trodden so Looked for a redeemer Someone to unite them Make them stronger The strong man came His name was Adolf Hitler   When World War Two ended It didn’t end The Cold War startedContinue reading “When Fear Rules The World”

Strong winds and heavy rain Confine me in my house I did not see this coming Like Robert Burns’ poor mouse   Give us this day our daily bread My cupboard store is bare No bread for Brian in the house today No point in saying the prayer   I love brown bread and sodaContinue reading “Rain on my Parade”

If I were a contender on television’s Master Mind, I would choose as my specialist subject the pope of the First World War. Often referred to, as the ‘forgotten pope’, Giacomo Della Chiesa, or Jimmy Kirk in Scots English, became Pope Benedict XV on 3 September 1914. He was 59 years old. He died in 1922 ofContinue reading “A Voice for Today”

It’s nice to die of old age My mammy had plenty of that And the good health to go with it Until the final lap And as the Irishman said Thank God she didn’t die of anything serious Thank God indeed she didn’t Just the weariness of age As she breathed that final minute  Continue reading “Old Age”

No joy on the horizon Hasn’t been for a while Brexit Covid Johnson Truss now tops the pile England’s football fading Food banks child abuse Old queen gone to heaven Old king left to muse   But you can’t control the weather We get whatever comes My father’s generation Got two world wars and bombsContinue reading “Sunshine And Showers”

Luke 9:46-50   No one wants to fail That’s not in the plan Whatever lies ahead We want to say we ran We did our level best Wanted to achieve Even when life goes wrong And we are undeceived   Disciples on the road They’ve left everything But not that inner drive To desire whatContinue reading “Arguing On The Road”

When you rule alone You are alone No fool to scold you No cabinet to hold you No opposition to challenge what you do There are no bearings in this sea Just sea and sky now endlessly And stars to steer by – They all left the sky   You cannot bear the slightest slight Your ruleContinue reading “Autocrat”

They circled him Like planets round the sun My grandsons round my son Tied by invisible twine Their lives depend on him A thine and mine   My twine snapped The day that I left home Now I am alone Fend for myself In this mishap Stranded on a shelf   Oh children need theirContinue reading “Parent”