Watching Over You

12/04/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



As I stand here

Watching over you

Watching you sleep

The rise and fall of your tiny chest

I wonder what the future holds

For you

For me

For the both of us together

The fun and games as a family

The outings to the beach

Or boating on the river

Creating memories that last a lifetime

In moments that are gone too soon

But I’m also filled with a fear

That I’m not good enough

That I might fail you

And I don’t know how to deal

With the overwhelming dread

That leads me to contemplate

Whether I should be here

Standing over you

Whether it wouldn’t be better

If it were someone else

Watching over you

Sometimes, I Wonder

21/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



Sometimes, I wonder

Not about the big things

But about the small,

The insignificant things

And whether they are,

In fact,

The most important things

In the world or,

At least,

My world.



Sometimes, it’s ok

That I didn’t save the world

Because I don’t think

I’d know how to do that

And, besides,

Maybe I am

Saving the world

One recycled bottle

Or saved litre of water

At a time.



Sometimes, I forget

That individuality

Doesn’t mean insignificance

When I can change

Myself,

My thoughts,

My actions,

My whole attitude

And make this world

A little better.



Sometimes, I am overwhelmed

By the hill I must climb

And the burden I carry

But, then,

Who else but me

Will bear my own troubles

For, if I cannot save myself,

How can I possibly

Expect the same from others

When they stumble.



Sometimes, I am strong

And there is nothing

I cannot accomplish,

No battle I can’t win

And no friend I can’t help

For simply being

An ear to listen,

A hand to hold,

A mind to understand –

Someone with whom to share.



Sometimes, I wonder

And it’s ok

That I forget

Or am overwhelmed

Because I am strong –



Because I am me.

An Atheist on Sacred Ground

10/01/2021 – Poem a Day Compilation



        Confess to me your sins

        Release them from your mortal being

        Into the cavernous space above

        So you might be forgiven



Forgive me father, for I believe not

These walls radiate no godliness

No matter how prettily they are put together

Or how great the belief of its designer



I come not to be welcomed into the fold

But to behold the achievements of humankind

In creating this place that you and I hold so dear

But for such very different reasons



        I’ll pray for you, my child



Keep your words from my ears

If their only purpose is your desire

To convert me to your brand of worship

Which offers me no salvation



My redemption will come from inside me

Through quiet contemplation

Not by some divine revelation

Or through his earthly messenger, yet



        May God bless your heart



I do not feel a connection rising to my soul

Through this inscribed concrete floor

It does not carry with it those departed

From crypts buried deep below our feet



The sense of peace I get from this place

Has naught to do with matters of faith

But with the solitude I can enjoy

In this small chapel to the side



        Hate the sin, love the sinner



The sense of wonder and awe I experience

Has not come from a spiritual cause

And is all to do with the majesty of the organ

And the aesthetic beauty of the stained glass



Save your communion and confessional

For those who share your devotion

This unbeliever loves you still

Even if you think I haven’t been saved