Elegy For The Young Poets Introduction How to Read The rhyme pattern makes it flow on from verse to verse, even after full stops which like the short second lines help slow things down, a bit of a contrast with the sharp barked indignations of ‘A Dream of Wet Pavements’. Usual 4 stresses followed […]
The Ballad Of The Rhyming Knight Introduction Who is this slightly ridiculous figure clopping by? Who else but Francis himself? A little light hearted mockery of his own rhymed quest. A bit of a breather after the intensities of the two preceding poems. The knight is also of course a representative figure of all the […]
After The Flood Introduction A cleansed and renewed earth, just as there was after the flood of Noah. There has been the passing through not only of external catastrophe but also of inner ordeal ‘our desolation’. Reading Hints A supple, graceful and natural verse reflecting calm speech rhythms takes the place of the rhyming and […]
Hymn To God The Man Introduction What can we say here except that the poet forgets himself and sings a kirtan to his Lord, enabling us reciting it to do the same. No rules for reading, we just read from the heart as each paragraph of verse swells up in praise. Most modern devotional verse […]
Dear Christ upon this Christmas morn Let all men weep that you were born Upon this earth that’s thought so fair That’s but the Cross which you must bear. The beauty of the bubbling rose, The lovely diamonds of the dew, Proclaim naught but the pain you chose That we might one day live as […]
During the years I lived alongside Avatar’s Abode, mid 70’s onwards, I had occasion among my activities relating to production of plays, theatrical events etc. etc, to read many of Francis’ poems to an audience, quite often at his request; here is one poem he wrote for me to recite and which to my knowledge […]
“His face was before us That was all we needed Then He hid himself from us Now His message blows on every wind. His beauty entranced us That was all we needed Then He veiled Himself from us Now His Word is blowing everywhere. His love clothed and fed us That was all we needed […]
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