Snapshots of Heaven Read online

  25. You Are Everywhere

   

  You are everywhere,

  You are the stuff of space,

  The dust of stars,

  That form a diamond necklace,

  Above our heads.

   

  You are the heartbeat,

  The hooded faces,

  The busy travellers,

  Going places,

  The world at their feet.

   

  You are the place,

  You are the smile,

  I sometimes find,

  On friendly faces,

  Or dreaming strangers.

   

  You are in the city noise,

  The football crowds,

  The raucous boys,

  The marshmallow clouds,

  The dancer’s poise,

  The bird singing out of sight,

  The butterfly’s flight,

  The silence of the city night.

   

  When all is said,

  And all is done,

  Doors shut fast,

  And all are gone,

  You are there.

  In the quiet times,

  Making peace,

  From dirt and grime,

  And as we sleep,

  You ease our finds,

  And bring release.

  26. A Symphony

  There is music through our lives,

  The nursery rhymes,

  The happy times - for under fives,

  The church bell chimes,

  That remind me of solemn choirs,

  In quiet churches – head bowed,

  Listening to the drumbeat,

  Pitter patter of tiny feet,

  Below the floorboards.

  The song plays loudly,

  In our schooldays,

  Dancing with the crowds,

  Bouncing and shouting,

  Unchained, immersed,

  In light and sound.

  As the music leads us on,

  To places, perhaps, we should not have gone.

  But as we grow,

  The song becomes a symphaony,

  Whose cadences we know,

  A wave to take us to infinity,

  A Winter fire's glow,

  To warm us for eternity,

  To hold us very close,

  When there is only you and me.

  27. You Are My Wings

   

  You are my wings,

  You are the breath of wind,

  You are the sky,

  Wide and open,

  Stretching out of sight,

  You are the light,

  The sun, the stars,

  Holding back the night,

  You are in the rivers and the streams,

  You are in the very depth of being,

  You are in the clouds on mountain tops,

  And in the crowds that never stop,

  You are the question and the answer,

  You are the thoughts and the ideas,

  You are far away,

  And you are here.

  28. If You’re Not There

   

  If you’re not there, the sunrise would have no magic,

  And I’d get up as tired as I went to bed,

  If you’re not there, the night is black with no stars shining,

  And the moon would be hidden in the clouds,

  If you’re not there, the flowers would seem like weeds,

  And their colours all shades of grey,

  If you’re not there, all my food would have no taste,

  And all my meals would be a dull routine,

  If you’re not there, we’d have no sunny days,

  And I’d spend my time under a cloudy haze,

  If you’re not there, there would be no sunsets,

  No string quartets playing soothing background music,

  No magnetic attraction, No anticipation,

  No holding hands or listening to a band,

  No birds singing, No happy ending,

  No cars, no trains, no bus,

  Nowhere to go at all,

  Because if you’re not there,

  There would be no us.

   

  29. Afterwards

   

  After the fury and the awe,

  The wind, the whirlwind,

  The waves pounding in,

  Again and again,

  The burning, and the fire,

  The place of peace,

  Where my only desire,

  Is to stay here with you.

  30. Touch

   

  I reach out to touch,

  What cannot be held,

  Receiving so much,

  More precious than gold,

  Fly where the wind blows,

  Where love has no bound,

  And the river flows,

  When I hold your hand.

  31. Breathe

   

  Breathe,

  Breathe in,

  Your expectation,

  Growing,

  Building,

  Your concentration,

  On seeing,

  Receiving,

   

  Breathe,

  Breathe in,

  Your anticipation,

  Believing,

  Aching,

  For completion,

  In resting,

  In knowing.

   

  32. Dream Words

   

  Unravelled from the tangle of dreams,

  Occasions of a clear voice speaking,

  Wisdom woven under the wings of angels,

  Seeds are sown and start their growing,

  Remembered pictures from our sleeping,

  Slowly condense into our thinking,

  And come into life within our being.

  33. Wild Fire

   

  When the time is right,

  It starts,

  With a spark,

  The wild fire,

  Crackling and engulfing everything,

  Roaming where it desires,

  Smoke billows into the skies,

  Like sacrifices to a greater god,

  As the earth bows low,

  In the fury of his wrath,

  The portent of a new start,

  Obscured now by clouds,

  But burning brightly,

  With this wild fire,

  To alter our world completely.

   

  34. Born There

   

  I was born there,

  It’s where I hold my dreams,

  My memories,

  Of all the things that could be,

  If I were there now.

   

  But I am here,

  Shut in this lonely cell,

  The sun shines,

  It’s promise through my window,

  If I could be there now.

   

  I was born there,

  But now it seems so far away,

  Like a dream,

  Of what I’m meant to be,

  If I were there now.

   

  But the wind blows,

  Here in my lonely cell,

  The light changes,

  And I am here with you now,

  For you are here.

  35. Out of the Blue

   

  We never really know,

  If there are angels in disguise,

  That walk with us below,

  Or carry prayers up to the sky.

   

  We never really know,

  If god will stir a soul,

  Let that endless love show,

  With a gentle touch to make us whole.

   

  We never really know,

  Of all the things that heaven sends,

  Coming out of the blue,

  Carried straight from the father’s hand.

  36. The Kiss

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  It wasn’t the kiss,

  Meant to betray,

  But always the wish,

  To give yourself away.

   

  It wasn’t the shame,

  Or the pain of the cross,

  When you bore the blame,

  To bring God’s love to us.

   

  It wasn’t the darkness,

  As day turned to night,

  But the start of forgiveness,

  When you brought the light.

  37. Easter

   

  Ecstatic cheers,

  As crowds appear,

  Waving palms,

  Twilit garden,

  Left alone,

  As friends nod off,

  The sweat, the blood,

  The fears, the kiss,

  The jeers, the lashes,

  Cut deep,

  The crown, the thorns,

  The cross, the nails,

  The darkest day,

  Dejected friends and family,

  The tomb,

  Stone rolled away,

  The seed,

  The hope that grew,

  The waiting of the faithful few,

  The tiny room,

  The flames of fire,

  Drive out the gloom,

  Relight desire,

  The mountain top,

  The flag unfurled,

  Ready now,

  To save the world.

  38. The Father’s Love

   

  Screaming agony,

  Hangs in silence,

  Sweat bleeds away,

  With human violence,

  And heaven’s tears.

   

  No words can say,

  The torture felt,

  By this beaten body,

  At the gates of hell,

  To show the father’s love.

  39. We Have It Nailed

   

  We have it nailed,

  This Easter,

  The price is paid,

  For chocolate eggs,

  In this is weighed,

  The sins of men,

  Desire and greed,

  The want and need,

  Wrapped in a single sheet,

  That sparkles in the light.

   

  With history forgotten,

  Upon a lonely hill,

  A stranger hanging dying,

  We watch him die there still,

  The sweat and tears,

  The blood and wounds,

  Still weeping through the years,

  Yet lifted high,

  Above the city lights,

  To bring the day and curse the night.

   

  40. The Next Wave

   

  The sea seems to have been gone for ages,

  As the sand and mud stretch to the horizon,

  But in the distance the light glints on a wave,

  As I sit under the unrelenting sun,

  Still waiting for the onward march,

  Of that cool, clear water as it comes,

  Ever closer eating up the beach,

  I fan my face and lick my lips,

  Longing for that refreshing touch,

  Watching the water rise and fall,

  Hoping that the next wave will be it.

  41. You Come

   

  You come in gentleness,

  And tenderness,

  Your ways are various,

  Sometimes serious,

  Often curious,

  You’re adventurous,

  Outrageous,

  Miraculous,

  Marvellous,

  And contagious,

  Your place is capacious,

  Spacious,

  Echoing with choruses,

  And continuous applauses,

  You’re tremendous,

  Glorious,

  And always victorious,

  But the wonder is,

  The way you give,

  Your spirit to us,

  Simple followers,

  Who stand incredulous,

  But to you are precious.

  42. Look to the Stars

   

  Look to the stars,

  The heavens studded with jewels,

  That sparkle in the dark,

  Burning with unseen fuel,

  That stirs our feet to dance.

   

  Look to the sky,

  The open freedom that is there,

  That makes our spirits rise

  On beating wings into the air,

  To fly and find our place.

  43. Enclosed By Clouds

  The rain is fresh,

  Clean and cool,

  As I lift my face,

  Up to you,

  Enclosed by clouds,

  That grow,

  And seem to mould,

  The very air,

  That surrounds,

  This place,

  The cool wind blows,

  In my hair,

  Until I really know,

  That you are there.

  44. Strong

   

  I stand believing,

  Resting,

  Simply being,

  Looking,

  And finding,

  You there, caring,

  Shaping,

  And sharing,

  Feeling you moving,

  My heart opening,

  And you placing,

  Your love within,

  Making it new again,

  Bringing,

  The life into living,

  Awakening,

  New meaning,

  And holding me strong.

  45. Wrapped

   

  I’ve wrapped myself in promises,

  Been bound up by my dreams,

  And ended up paying homage,

  To a harsh unreal regime,

  That was playing on my conscience,

  And leading to extremes,

  When I should have been more honest,

  Instead of feeding on my greed.

   

  So I’ll loose the ties that bind me,

  And try to choose a road that’s right,

  A way of love and kindness,

  Where I can walk on in the light,

  I’ll wrap myself in happiness,

  Rest where the sun shines bright,

  There I can find myself afresh,

  And find my wings and fly.

  46. Wrapped2

   

  I want to be wrapped,

  In your love,

  Saturated, soaked,

  But still not move,

  Standing in the flow,

  To receive,

  Everything from you,

  Until I feel,

  Completely brand new,

  Then I’ll stay,

  Wrapped in your arms.

  47. Ashes

   

  The ashes of the fire,

  Stir in shades of grey,

  The greedy burning of desire,

  All now eaten away,

  The wind stirs the dust,

  That lies exhausted, spent,

  But deep within, it glows,

  And sparks spring back to life again,

  Flare bright, and grow,

  As deep inside, heat flows,

  The temperatures rise,

  Under this gentle touch,

  That seems so light,

  But still can do so much.

  48. The Spark

   

  Like the spark,

  Drifting slowly upwards,

  On the updraft of the bonfire,

  Taking the source,

  The heart of the flame,

  Burning with desire,

  To fly far away,

  And set the world on fire

  49. The Day

   

  The day is not wasted,

  If we have touched,

  Trace
s of smiles on faces,

  Or felt the hand of God,

  Creating,

  Something new,

  The gentle breath,

  That carries out the word.

   

  The day is perfect,

  If we have found,

  That we can connect,

  And touch the hand of God,

  Detecting,

  Something new,

  Beginning now,

  With this one touch,

  That reaches to this world.

  50. First Light

   

  You were watching,

  As the town stirred,

  Shapes nightmare strange,

  To newly woken eyes,

  Buildings mourning black,

  Against the moonless sky,

  You watched,

  As we stretched,

  Scratched,

  Dressed,

  Following the morning routine,

  Each step neatly planned,

  Like stops for the commuter train,

  As we walk,

  Zombie-like,

  Into the first light of the day.

  51. The Heart

   

  The heart,

  A life force,

  A source – of power,

  That binds,

  This world together,

  A collective intelligence,

  A morphic resonance,

  Pulsing,

  Generating,

  The spark,

  The thoughts,

  With infectious confidence,

  That drives,

  Encourages,

  To rise,

  To grow,

  In strength and stature,

  To be one in spirit,

  In harmony with nature.

  52. Re-Wire

  Tightrope stretching,

  Across the void,

  A balancing act,

  To follow the voice,

  Or the flames of desire,

  But in all the noise,

  You are drawn to the fire,

  Your mind is in torment,

  Sinking deep in the mire,

  As they play your lament,

  So many memories to call you a liar,

  Your losing your own grip,

  As the smoke rises higher,

  With that one final slip,

  Getting, nearer and nearer,

  To the heat of the pyre,

  Step away from the edge,

  And let your brain re-wire.

  53. Complex World

   

  A city made of grains of sand,

  Each put in place by careful hand,

  To build a life so rich and full,

  That we cannot comprehend it all,

  Yet still we try to dismantle,

  Every single part out from the whole,

  Examine each and understand,

  The music of the background band,

  To take this piece and try to fit,

  This complex world back into it.

  54. Mosaic

   

  Picking at the pieces,

  To make the whole,

  Looking for release,

  To heal your soul,

  Holding each part up to the light,

  Turning around from side to side,

  As the world seems to come apart,

  To reveal a beating heart,

  From the service bay to the assembly line,

  The sweet green grapes to the vintage wine,

  From the scalpel to the anatomy class,

  Tinted windows to a looking glass,

  Showing a reflection,

  At least in part,

  Of pieces of mosaic,

  That some would call art.

  55. Freed

  Feel the breath of aspiration,

  Or the Yuletide anticipation,

  Of complete emancipation,

  And the captive's liberations,

  On an extra special occasion,

  Moving with cartoon animation,

  Into a colourful,