Poems that relate to spirituality


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Beginning

Sufis speak of two movements in the spiritual path: effort and attraction.
This poem was included in Feeding Harbour (1984) and was printed in Arts Dialogue, March 1995.


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My life-pulse

The Beloved - and Enlightenment - is closer than our life-vein. This poem was included in Feeding Harbour (1984).



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The earth is not carnal

Written after giving a workshop on writing religious poetry for a Bible studies group.
It was printed in Arts Dialogue, June 1999.


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The Glove

Written after giving a workshop on writing religious poetry for a Bible studies group.
It was printed in Arts Dialogue, June 1999.


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Prayer

In the parable that begins in Luke 19:10, a servant reproaches the master, who represents God, saying “I feared you, because you are an austere man: you take up what you have not laid down, and reap what you did not sow.” God does not sow the wickedness in the world, but enables us to harvest good from it.


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The village of the hidden singing birds

While cruising on my boat, I came across this town, consisting entirely of holiday homes and, in the winter, quite uninhabited. But that was not the strangest thing about it. This poem was included in Feeding Harbour (1984)


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Why in the Sun-tongued hills

This poem was included in Feeding Harbour (1984).
It is about the Bahai month of the fast, which in New Zealand is in the autumn.