Not a new poem, but as yet unseen, mainly because it was meant for performance and I kept chickening out of printing it. Performance poetry never quite works written down: the scansion is always out unless you're reading it with the particular intended emphasis.
I wrote it to read at the end of a talk I was giving about making the Bible relevant to primary school aged children, in order to remind my wearied listeners that despite everything I had been saying about the challenges and hindrances of telling some parts of the Bible to children, most Bible stories are 'good stories' that do actually lend themselves to being told.
The Good Book
What other book has
Wise men, starlight,
Sheep, a baby,
A cruel king, a great escape?
Some books, maybe.
What other book has
A donkey's jawbone
A cockerel's crow
A lions' den, and two she bears?
No book I know.
What other book has
A finger writing,
Dry bones walking,
Bushes burning,
A donkey talking,
A cloudy pillar,
A river of blood,
A wrestling angel,
An epic flood,
A still, small voice,
A beauty queen
And - toilet humour?
No book I've seen.
What other book has
God among us
Death and sadness
Resurrection
Joy and gladness
A heavenly Father,
Risen glory,
Life for ever
All a true story?
It doesn't matter how far you look -
There's only one.
Now that's a Good Book.
Beautiful! Thanks for reminding me why I love teaching RE so much :)
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