Out of the North by Tracy Patrick

Description

It’s 1914 and the start of the First World War.

In Paisley, the Reverend Joseph Johnston delivers a sermon condemning the war and the failure of society and religion to stop it. His sermon is printed in the Paisley & Renfrewshire Gazette.

Later, whilst serving in France, he continues to provide an individual commentary by letters in which he describes the true horror of war and, in contrast, his deep and untainted affection for the soldiers he serves.

Both compelling and timely, Out of the North is a unique and original long poem sequence based on the life of the Reverend Joseph Johnston during the First World War.

 

 

XIII

here the creature is god

it sees no difference

between sparrow and leaf

does not claim the rose over the cornflower

the tulip over the chamomile

the thistle over the fleur de lis

the creature loves and destroys equally

it lives and dies in the open

is naïve and has faith

you may tie a board to its back

teach it to speak and repeat

show it how one thing

can mean another

it will only apologise for not understanding

and look beyond you with eyes you will never own

its spontaneous grunts and shouts you mistake

for lack of decorum

but the creature is not formal or solemn

it is too full of reverence

comes and goes as it pleases

unblotted by dullness or stained glass

the creature knows it can be called at any moment

willing or unwilling

it acknowledges the interruption

in semi-darkness or amid a hundred mad drums

the creature does not need light

its wounded song

echoes further than a throng of chaste throats

its rain dance serious but not sombre

its blade always sharp