News: Palm, Ash and Oil

Added Tuesday 21st February 2012

1. The ash upon my brow
   Has made its heavy way
   From those who shouted "King"
   To those who would not say:
   A warning of the slope
   Which leads us to betray;
   No need to do the deed,
   Stay quiet, walk away.
2. The palm Cross by my bed
   Rustles a jarring note
   Of people steering clear
   Of things they should promote,
   Promiscuously bland
   In promising their vote,
   No gap between the hat
   And the collar of the coat.
3. The oil that welds the ash
   Reminds me of a king
   Who, tortured and betrayed,
   Accepted suffering,
   Whose silence was as sharp
   As crystal shattering
   But whose word is always true
   As an infant's lettering.
4. The Cross upon my brow
   Says that I must not wait
   To turn against my ease,
   Confronting what I hate;
   It says my sins, though small,
   Add up to something great,
   That I so often fall
   Because I hesitate.

From Hymns for Ash Wednesday to Pentecost.