For our Easter 2022 issue of The Parishioner we have a poem to share with you, on the theme of the passion. This was written by Joanna Pearson, a talented poet who is also a member of Chapel Poets. We have some news from the Chapel Poetry for you too.
Erasure *
(He erased it all – our sins, our stained soul – he deleted it all and they cannot be retrieved. Colossians 2v14, Passion translation)
Mocked, whipped, a strip torn, then tatters all over
but still he said nothing. Face set
through the jostling concourse he went to the cross.
Either side were two thieves,
no coward companions –
their absence revealed their betrayal.
For hours, rise and fall of stretched lungs
then the shape of particular breath, the timbre of a voice
to beloved disciple and mother.
Thick darkness as sins and infirmities gathered:
He had to greet each of them, each as itself,
before he could begin the real work: see them gone.
The print each left in him disfigured completely:
such utter destruction that nothing
resembling a man could be placed in the tomb.
Joanna Pearson
* using phrases from ‘Erasures’; by Philip Gross
(c) Joanna Pearson
Chapel Poetry Group News
Chapel Poets have been meeting on Zoom every month throughout the pandemic, and since a lot of the members are now living further away, we have kept it as an online Zoom workshop for 2022. We meet monthly, and share thoughts and ideas on our WhatsApp chat in between.
Our March meeting was on the theme of The Wasteland by T S Eliot. Poet in Residence Max put us through our paces as we explored the poem, discussed the style and then attempted to have a go ourselves. Our skills were certainly stretched and we all felt we had learned, noticed and tried new things. I wonder – what voices and images would you use to reflect the culture of today? Why not give it a try?
If you would like to join Chapel Poets for the next workshop, we love to welcome new members with a passion for poetry. Book the diary for 7.30pm on Friday 22nd April and contact Alex for the Zoom details 07730 609446 (call or text)
