June 19, 2015 – Simon's still stanza

Praised Be

Praised be

The inspirational word

The sounding syllable

Evoking

our inner ear.

Praised be

The bountiful vision

Of life as gift

A verdant valley

Of repose from harm.

Praised be

The light of morn

Crescent moon of night.

Praised be

The call to community

The welcoming faces

Gathered on the day.

Praised be

The rain and the sun

The wind behind our ears

And the birdsong

Among the trees.

Praised be

The ones we love

Who both hurt and heal us

With the sharing

Of our lives as one.

Praised be

Those human hurts

Hitting our hearts

By humbling us

To pour out our love.

Praised be

That love given away

Sent along roadways

Across seas and airways –

Whether they know –

It’s sent to their hearth.

Praised be

The gift of recollection

To ponder the paradox

Our lives put to us.

Praised be…

Simon C.J. Falk 19 June 2015

In the Catholic Tradition that has long been my spiritual home, Pope Francis has recently published a circular letter, or encyclical, called Laudato si’ . It relies on the spirituality of creation and of St. Francis of Assisi . Francis, saw all life and the earth as gift: interconnected and all were his brothers and sisters. Francis would often praise the goodness around him, even those things that may seem dark or painful. The verse above is inspired by the life of Francis and of Laudato si’ (which I haven’t yet finished reading!). This verse is a thankful drawing together of things and people I have recently encountered.

Washing Machine of Life

Throw it in,

The grime of the day

And week

And stains

From yester-year.

It’s still there, after all.

In one day,

A funeral

Can turn up

Hurts from yester-year:

Those we once loved

And moved on

Or have we?

All while

A call

To the NRMA

Is placed to fix

That bloody car

Again

Comes the memories

Of good times,

Failures and hurts,

Near

And years back.

The wanting

To reconnect

Yet disconnect

In the same motion.

All this is thrown in

And spins

Round and round

And round

The agitation

At the centre of life.

The emotions bubble

Up and churning

In the foamy flow,

As you

Spin

Around

And are

Wrung,

Finally coming to

Rest.

Waiting to be

Hung out to dry.

Washed out

And limp

And left

To the elements.

Simon C.J. Falk 19 June 2015

In our lives we can return to things, places and people. The baggage can revisit us new experiences are added to the mix. The verse above captures something of that.