wordsout by godfrey rust
The
sailing of the ark < 38
of 45 >
38
For
what is it we pray? That peace
will come, and prophecy go unfulfilled?
For
the
unchangeable to change his mind?
In a game of blind man's buff
beneath
the storms of God we hide
or lay out the tarpaulin of our prayers
and
catch
what grace we can, asking
"that it will not be in winter",
and
though our intercessions seem as futile
as five small loaves among five thousand men,
he
breaks
the bread of our prayers
to feed the hungry who come
to
eat,
gathered so far out
at the edge of the soul's miraculous hillside.
The closing section (38-45) reviews some of the consequences of escaping from a dogmatic strait-jacket.
that it will not be in winter From Jesus’ prophecy of the desecration of the temple (Matthew 24:20).
Five small loaves among five thousand men cf Matthew 14:13-21.