The Pond

The Pond I Relax The sun is warm upon my back. The gentle breeze the surface stirs. The tiny creatures wriggle and poke. In mud below they nibble for prey. A little creature to the surface comes. And can this tadpole his future gauge? But still the sun is warm upon my back. I Ponder The sun is warm upon my back. Into the limpid pool I gaze; I see reflected years that passed And blesséd mem’ries now a haze. The gentle breeze the surface stirs. I dreamt of dreams in hope of truth, Expected visions of heavenly wonders And yet they never came in youth. The tiny creatures wriggle and poke. The sun and moon to darkness turned; And blood and fire and billows of smoke A portent? a Holy City never returned? In mud below they nibble for prey. Armageddon - a mighty flood And then a great and dreadful day, The setting moon, it turned to blood. A little creature to the surface comes. A New Jerusalem never came, No Holy City appeared on earth. No Holy City by any name. And can this tadpole his future gauge? But still our future hidden lay; No ‘Faithful and True’ for which we prayed, For us on judgement day? But still the sun is warm upon my back. Oh little ones in pond I see To your own little god did pray? So unaware of what’s to be? And still the sun is warm upon my back. May 2013 This poem resulted from several occasions of relaxing by the little back-garden pond (in the sun!) and being mesmerised by tadpoles wriggling about. It struck me that they had a future ahead they could not even dream about – even if they could dream! How did this relate to human life? Notes: ‘Dreaming of dreams’ is based on “Old Men dream dreams and young men see visions” taken from the Book of Joel Chapter 2. Armageddon is mentioned in the Book of Revelation Chapter 16 – A catastrophically destructive event. The ‘Holy City’ reference is from Revelation Chapter 21. ‘Faithful and True’ is the rider mentioned in Revelation Chapter 19