Month: July 2021

Poem for Mandela Day

/ bgulland72 / 1 Comment

We know in this world there’s a lot that’s unjust

You might sit there thinking, yeah I know that, but must

Must I really do something, do I have to act

Cos I’m actually quite comfy right here, that’s a fact

And you know what, I get that, I totally do

I find it pretty hard leaving my comfort zone too

But today and right now I wanna share a few tips

I’ll make it quite snappy, I’ll go at a clip:

First, find a problem that engages your heart

That thing you think’s wrong is a great way to start

Next up, get closer to what you care about

Get to know and research it, it’ll give you more clout

As you think about how you can get personally involved

In tackling this issue that needs to be solved

Maybe helping the homeless, or famine abroad

Volunteering at a food bank, giving what you can afford

Picking up litter, visiting someone in need

Helping your friend to get fitter, or planting a seed

And no matter how big or small is the scope

Of your action for justice, your ally is hope

It’s that wider horizon, big picture, long view

It has a quality divine and can help us here too

They say the arc of the universe bends towards the light;

So hold onto that thought, don’t let it slip out of sight.

Audio :

A more beautiful game?

/ bgulland72 / Leave a comment

I won’t soon forget, being with a crowd

In a pub, watching England, it was really quite loud

I’m no diehard fan, but it was difficult to frown

On so many jumping for joy up and down

They whooped and they shouted, then did so some more

I was shocked that more beer wasn’t knocked on the floor

It’s a remarkable thing, this national obsession

A lightning rod for so much delight – and aggression

So much devotion for these heroes adored

So much emotion when one of them’s scored

It’s an art, a kind of worship, it’s been called a religion

Overstatement? – you think so, but that’s for the pigeons

There’s simply nothing else that arouses such passion

I used to think there was, but that view’s out of fashion;

But the question that I really want to ask here today

Is where do we turn, when it’s all gone away

This grappling with overblown hope, or despair

What do we do when it’s no longer there?

Here’s a little insight, a hunch, just a feeling:

I’m not sure that football’s got a high enough ceiling

To let the human spirit fully flourish and soar

I suspect that we’ll always well, want something more

Is there a bigger purpose, where we’re called to take part

A more ‘beautiful game’, a kind of ‘life work of art’ 

When the stadiums clear and the shouts fade away

Is there something that can help you in the mere day to day?

There’s a beautiful word, do you know it, called ‘grace’

It’s from God, it’s for each of us, it can light up a face

And I hold out the hope that every person, each nation

Is invited, one day, to a bigger celebration.

Image by tookapic from Pixabay