Jesus

I breathe,

feeling anger, fear and sadness, joy;

softly

I nourish

warmth

and passion

planting

the wholly unobvious

until, battered now,

I’m breath.

Background Music

Music plays and we’re with friends,

drinking wine and drinking beer;

Andrew’s there, it’s not too late,

and mouths are jabbing me, me, me

when Andrew stiffens, widens eyes

hunting, hunting for a feel

of background music rising free

- he’s noticed, listen, noticing

some music that is soaring off

and both his feet are rising, rising:

floating in a pulse of sun

while you and I are thrashing, thrashing,

thrashing through the frost.

Words

In a group, students decide

honesty’s a value;

that they would like to use their honour

and tell a welling truth

in single words, in flowing sound

and feel morality rise and fly,

sometimes missing sailing ears,

sometimes causing a new ‘aha’,

sometimes stabbing into a heart

and now, outside, insistent birds

flute their sweetness over Doppler cars

and the bitter, little, hark of a crow

but when words rise and start a truth:

how will they know? How do we ever know?

Big and small

My son sits on the floor

so he won’t fall - or legs overshake -

keeping low for his own sake

reducing tension, so when fairy stories pour

and words flow excitedly,

he can play the action hero, fly

like Superman. He finds that classics are best,

more natural - Red Riding Hood amongst the trees

(where he’ll play the Woodman) the rest

of the cast played by anyone else nearby

who fill the lower parts, baddies

or witches, ugly sisters, Grandma.

Big Bad Wolf is his favourite part

and he grabs the role of Troll beneath the bridge

in Billy Goats Gruff; you merely do a smaller bit

of method acting, trip trapping;

all arranged so he can own

the Hero’s part, the one with most to give.

He’s Prince Charming in every show

declaiming a soliloquy so

there is no chance to oust him or argue

with his passion. He upstages every pig!

Full sized, he plays the hero, front of stage;

and goes for it - he plays the part that’s big.