When the Holy Spirit Danced With Me in My Kitchen
the first thing I noticed was his arms,
thick and hairy like a bricklayer’s
with a tattoo of an anchor
as Churchill had.
‘Coming for a spin?’ he grinned,
in an accent more Geordie than Galilee,
and he whirled me
through tango, foxtrot and waltz
without missing a beat.
‘You’re good,’ I said. ‘Thanks,’
he said, taking two glasses to the tap.
‘You’re not so bad yourself,
for someone with no sense of rhythm
and two left feet.’
He gave me a wink.
‘It’s all in the waist.
The movement has to start there
or it’s dead.’
‘You’ll find it applies to most things,’
he went on, grabbing the kettle.
‘Writing, cooking, kissing,
all the things you’re good at,
or think you are.’
He winked again.
‘You don’t mind me asking,’ I said,
‘but why are you here?’
‘I thought it was about time,’
he said. ‘I mean, you’ve been full stretch,
haven’t you, what with your job,
feeling like a taxi for the kids,
your family living far away,
and you ‘in your head’ all the time
as you said to someone last week.’
I looked at him and nodded.
‘Go on.’
‘I was going to.’
He got down some mugs.
‘Let’s say I was concerned about you.
The thing is, the three of us,
we like you a lot.
We think you’ve got real potential
as a human. You’re kind and humorous.
You’re also a little scatty.
We like that. By the way, that fish curry
you made on Saturday was first class.’
‘You know about that?’
‘Everything you get up to,’
he smiled. ‘It’s nothing to panic about.
Really. To tell you the truth
you could do with loosening up a little.
Try not beating yourself up the whole time.
A little less rushing everywhere
would do you good, too.’
‘I thought you might say that.’
‘Look at me,’ he said.
‘I came to say:
Keep Going, and Relax.
Also: keep things simple.
If you are doing one thing,
do that thing. If you are talking
with someone, listen to them,
do not blame them for being hard work.
Write as if you were not afraid,
and love in this way too.
Be patient with everyone, especially
your relations, who (I can assure you)
think you are rather special.
Make big decisions slowly, and small decisions
fast. Do not make bitterness your friend.
Pray (I will not mind if you use
made up words for this.)
Garrison was right: ‘Why
have good things you don’t use?’
What you have been given to do,
give yourself to it completely,
only by emptying yourself can you become full.’
from Full Stretch (Worple Press, 2006)
Reblogged this on hills of nottingham and commented:
This is lovely: it is what I wish I could do.
LikeLike
Thank you for your kind support.
As ever with good wishes
Anthony
LikeLike
love this! reminds me of Frank O’Hara’s True Account of Talking to the Sun … so much wise counsel out there (or in here) if only we listen
LikeLike
Thank you! High praise indeed.
LikeLike
Love that first stanza, AW! Puts me in mind of all those beautiful Russian Grandmasters like Korchnoi. If you didn’t know from the beauty of their games that they were chess Grandmasters, you could easily assume they were dockers or lorry-drivers (not that here’s anything wrong with either!) What should an angel look like? A Geordie-speaking, barrel-chested blue-collar worker seems almost exactly right to me!
LikeLike
Thank you. You are kind to say so.
As ever
Anthony
LikeLike
“…do not blame them for being hard work” is great, and a line I’ll take much to heart.
LikeLike
I’m so pleased you liked it.
As ever
A
LikeLike
This is just so beautiful and funny and FUN. I love the sense and rhythm of the lines, “The thing is, the three of us,/we like you a lot.” 🙂
LikeLike
Dear Connie. Thank you for saying so.
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Yours with good wishes
Anthony
LikeLike
I agree with Connie — that is my very favourite bit. The three of us. I’m in unity about the trinity. 😉
LikeLike
so love this poem, and you and Him together forever part of a team.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on James B. Shannon and commented:
A lovely conversation with the Holy Spirit. There is much to be learned in this simple dialogue.
LikeLike
I love this poem. It evokes the wonderful intimacy of that invitation available to us all to be caught up into that perichoresis between Father, Son, Spirit and creature.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for your kind encouragement. I appreciate it. Anthony
LikeLike
This is super. A main course of insight, a side order of Collins, a sprinkle of Larkin, a dash of Gibran.
LikeLike
That is high praise.
Thank you.
Side orders of Collins come with free fries.
As ever
A
LikeLike
Beautiful theology. Humour, tenderness, muscularity, and lightness of touch. I wanted to share it with somebody straight away.
LikeLike
Thank you, I’m so pleased you enjoyed it.
As ever
Anthony
LikeLike
Fantastic. I really enjoyed that, thank you for passing it on.
LikeLike
Thank you!
LikeLike
Just discovered this. Stunning poem. Brilliant!
LikeLike
Thank you Rionach. This one is from Full Stretch (2006).
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Andrea Skevington.
LikeLike
I just Googled to find this poem after hearing you read it at Greenbelt. Beautiful! Made me cry. Thanks xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for saying so Jen. I’m delighted you liked and found the poem. With thanks and good wishes, Anthony
LikeLike