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To sing at midnight
we’ve felt the pain
once again
promises broken in the words today
we’ve sat and talked about these paths we’ve walked
sometimes it’s dark, this battle fought
but you, you’ve made your mark
right from the start
it’s unbelievable, incredible
you’ve given us the heart to sing
at midnight
the nights get late as we’ve pondered this fate
that’s turning from chance into the plans you have made
the light you shine beyond the boundary line
to take us beyond our state of mind
but you have taken part in the stories of our hearts
it’s illogical, but wonderful
you’ve given us the heart to sing
at midnight
16/6/98
Time is a remarkable thing. I can’t believe it was ten years ago that I wrote that song. Ok, give or take a few weeks…
It’s a song written from a dark place where I could still see a light shining. A friend was going through an even darker place – but I felt there was hope amidst it all. I began to think of Paul, a follower of Jesus and one of the first people to lead others in Christ’s way… He’s in a Roman jail and worshipping God. I mean, in a rotting stinking jail at midnight worshipping God, and God sets him free. I think he was free even before the doors were broken open and before the chains were undone.
And that’s something much more remarkable than time.
…and wrote a few poems.
A block of wood
Here’s a man with a microphone
an audience, barely enough to crowd
songs of love and Lawrence
its the words that cry out loud
The music just drifts away
melts into tomorrow
both through and between the lines
he had a lot to say
Here’s a man with a block of wood
shaped and fashioned to sing in tune
the words crafted and moulded
by prayer and question
and the story of a carpenter, born a Jew
He was a man who took trees
cut and shaped them
turned them
and worked them with ease
to help the men of this world
to help his family
But that wasn’t why he came
His destiny was a tree
that cut and shaped Him
turned his destiny to a moment
a block of wood
a foundation
for eternity
So a man with a guitar and a microphone
a voice with a heart for souls
and a spirit born
when a Jewish carpenter died (and rose)
and his fingers are worn
playing for the Glory of his Lord
a block of wood
a foundation for eternity
a name on a rock
a block of wood
shaped and fashioned to sing in tune
a block of wood…
(For Derek Lind)
(5/8/95)
Look away
candle light
a red spot light
this time a man with a song
got it right
I can’t look away
I could walk away from the man
I could hang up the guitar
but as for the song
I cannot turn away
the words have me
captured by their passion
captivated by
the brutal beauty
of the ugliness of this world
candle light
a red spot light
this is how I want to do it
do it right
I can’t let them look away…
(5/8/95)
Shadow (II)
shadow on a curtain
guitar on a chair
and all there is left on stage
is a song in mid air
(he left it hanging there)
shadow of a cross
cast by a fire of fear
and all there is left
blood and water, love and despair
(He’s no longer hanging there)
One man is coming back to sing
Another will return as King…
…and the shadows will bow
in reverence and fear
right here.
(5/8/95)
I used to think silence
was an empty space
but I was wrong
(or at least distracted)
the more I learn
about listening
the more I find
waiting
the further I walk into the depths of the quiet
the greater the discovery
I used to think silence
was an empty space
24.01.2008
I’m liking the journey back into my poetry files; you quickly forget what you’ve written and it’s interesting what you see in the same words after some time. Here’s a couple which are kind-of ‘bookends’ to the whole single to ‘un-single’ journey. I guess now I need to find something which encapsulates the story in between…
Beauty at a distance
I grow tired
of seeing
beauty at a distance
I grow tired
of watching hope stumble
across the idea of love
with each passing glance
an innocent look
can say a lot to a hungry heart
I am too tired to see
so I will surrender this beauty
to sleep
and perhaps in time
the dream…
27/10/01
Five minutes longer
this is the song I would write for you
if I only had two minutes
if I only had two minutes to write you a song of love
its blue skies outside and that makes me smile
we’re going to see Anika sing in a little while
we’ll sit and talk and let the melody wander past us
and perhaps linger in our minds once it’s all over
once it’s all over
the music will be gone but what of the song
what of the melody my heart carries
I love you I know this much
and there’s no such thing as luck
only blessing and a plan and some choices
and some beautiful voices
singing
and then there’s me
this is the song I would write for you
if I only had two minutes
just spending a few words on a page
so I could sing for you
anything just to get you to stay
let me sing for you
just so you can stay
five minutes longer
five minutes longer
22/01/04
