Easter Worship Day

It's been a while since I have shared a poem of mine, and as this is primarily a poetry blog, it's about time: Yesterday, whilst sitting and enjoying the chilled out vibe at the Easter Worship Day at Tonbridge Baptist Church, I took the opportunity to read through my current poetry note book. Towards the end, I found this poem which encapsulated for me, in the moment of writing, back in December, how words are inadequate to describe the depth and breadth of God, despite the richness they might try to convey:

Few Words

There are but few words that can adequately describe you.

Each word relying on the other

To bring another facet into play

To fully display

The fuller array of you.
For no word will do
To fully display you.

How words cannot compare
to this sight so rare
of you.
If my experience of you could be as rich
as the hundreds of words that exist,
I'd only catch a glimpse of you.

Oh how words fail to satisfy my desire
to convey you.

I could twist and turn,
I could tumble and shake,
But no sound do they make
In comparison to
the symphony of you.

Oh how could I stay true to the truth of you
with mere words,
despite their flooding to me
in herds?

Copyright EH 2013. 
All rights reserved.

It was great to revisit a poem and give it some 'air'. The worship was led by the youth leaders and returning university students. They set it up in the round with opportunities for others to lead as they felt led, whether pre-planned or spontaneous. Thank you to them for the opportunity to share some words in praise of our wondrous God.

The National Gallery Room 9

On the 5th April 2014, I went to see the 'Magnificence in Renaissance Venice' exhibition at the National Gallery. It was a show case of around 50 masterpieces by the painter Paolo Veronese, the biggest collection of his works to be displayed in the UK, including some major loans from around the world. According to the National Gallery exhibition page,  it required a large scale re-hang of the gallery's collection, with some works being reunited in the same location for the first time in hundreds of years. What has this to do with poetry? Well I fell in love with his work 'The Adoration of the Kings' years ago when it was displayed in Room 9 of the National Gallery. I returned on many occasions to see this same painting as it symbolically represented something quite close to my personal experience of God. I also fell in love with the painting 'The Conversion of Mary Magdalene,' about 1548, previously entitled 'Christ Addressing a Kneeling Woman', which was also displayed in Room 9. I wrote a poem simply entitled 'The National Gallery Room 9' expressing the links between the two paintings in my mind. Then the inevitable, yet unthinkable in my naivety, happened: they removed 'The Adoration of the Kings'. I was sad, but knew that things change and it wasn't my room to decide what was displayed in there. Nevertheless, I excitedly discovered, on reading about this current exhibition, that the reason for its removal, was that it was being restored! Excellent news. So I paid for tickets to see two paintings that I have seen numerous times for free, but within the context of Veronese's other works, including a previous version of the 'The Adoration of the Kings' which I didn't know existed. All that to say that it has given me reason to revisit my poem, simply entitled 'The National Gallery Room 9'. It is good to reflect on times past and to see how far your journey has brought you, how things change, and underneath it all, how great it is to have a faith in God with whom you can share the journey.

'The Adoration of the Kings', Paolo Veronese, 1573-4

As for other links, it seems that Veronese was influenced by Michelangelo - another favourite painter of mine (see 'The Temptation of Saint Anthony Abbot, 1552) who was also a poet. See my previous post 28 April 2011 on this topic.