Category Archives: Uncategorized

What is my heart’s desire? Is it burning still? Or have I parked desire Upon some lonely hill   My desire was taken And locked away somewhere You won’t be needing that Now you’re in our care   Church and institution Locked my heart away Embers slowly dying Life is now decay   Leaving priesthoodContinue reading “Follow The Star”

When I was born Two great wars were over Europe was collapsed to start again Now began the Cold War We feared the Russian Bear Collapse of British Empire Freedom in the air   Suddenly swinging sixties Beatles everywhere Collapse of British industry Profumo Lionel Blair World Cup Win at Wembley Ball never crossed theContinue reading “My History Paper”

The Son of Man Has nowhere to lay his head This the choice he made when leaving home Farewell to Mary and to Nazareth Quiet village quiet life Happy comfort zone   I by contrast Enjoy a cosy bed A cosy house and home A place to call my own And even now Widowed andContinue reading “From Nazareth?”

This church says you are welcome Come inside There is room for all The walls are tall and wide Pictures on the walls There are chapels at the side The lights are on It is dark outside   Plenty pews The people sit apart Respectful of Covid Yet so full of heart Here to spendContinue reading “Evening Mass”

Nobody likes the truth It’s just too hard Too hard to hear Too hard to bear Too hard   A semblance of the truth Might be okay Gives us room To live another day   When the prosecution gets to work Our case can look a shipwreck On the rocks The things we’ve done ThingsContinue reading “The Holy Name”

Somerset Devon and Cornwall Places I’ve never been Something tells me they are beautiful Pictures that I have seen Far away from London Away down south and west Quiet places holiday haunts A place to build a nest   England’s elongated leg Land’s End at the foot Little harbours here and there Cliffs the seaContinue reading “West by South West”

We love to be in places Where our loved ones have been before It feels a lot like touching them In touch with days of yore It’s like a relic or a souvenir A secret lock of hair An item blessed by closeness To the one who is not there   I often think ofContinue reading “Touching the Past”

Bristol basic training Then to India Poona Ahmednagar North West Frontier Then the war and Basra Up to Lebanon Garden of Gethsemane Old Jerusalem   Libya and Tobruk Halfaya Pass Battle of El Alamein Then home to wed a lass   Then to Eastry Betteshangar Waiting for D – Day Normandy and Caen Tilly-sur-Seulles NijmegenContinue reading “Places My Father Saw”

  If my health is good at 75 I need look no further than my mother She was healthy all her life Lived to 94 What she had she gave to me First born of her four   She lived a healthy holy life Caring for her brood Working hard and loving us Her healthContinue reading “Signposts to Life”

Cosy Italian restaurant Tables close together Maitre D’ heart-warming man Come in out of the weather Outside cold London pavement Cloudy skies and rain Inside warm Italian smile All Mediterranean   My first taste of Italy In those younger days Pasta pizza vino All things to amaze One day I’d go to Italy Live thereContinue reading “Il Portico”

Jesus never condemns Never puts to shame He lives amidst our suffering Is part of the suffering game He speaks to us quite openly He waits on our reply He does not seek to do you down Is with you when you die   Our lives are sometimes foolish We struggle every day I amContinue reading “Alter Christus”

Dogger Fisher German Bight Sweet sounds to fall asleep The sea area forecast Around our island keep   Thames Dover Portland Keep the Froggies out Sweep around our blessed isle Our beautiful redoubt   Fastnet Lundy Irish Sea The problematic Celt Sweep between us keep us safe A maritime black belt   Rockall Malin HebridesContinue reading “Sea Area Forecast”

All my life I’ve lived with God Believed and talked to him School and church and family The confessing of our sin Submitted to vocation talk Persuaded from my home Dressed in black anointed then Holy priest of Rome   Did as I was asked to do Parish and mission brief Did not know theContinue reading “Now I Know”

We start the year with winter colds Pandemic makes us cower And Scots went down to England Hogmanay round Blackpool Tower   And New Year brings a load of gongs To worthies left and right Honi soit qui mal y pense Order of Garter knight   And over in America A guilty verdict met WithContinue reading “New Year”

  I went down to Nocera South of Napoli A few days break from study In Roma Italy   Nocera is Alfonso’s home He lived he’s buried there For Reds it is the Mother House The centre of their prayer   The night I came the old guys In their common room Sat down toContinue reading “San Lorenzo”