1284

Ludlow Psalm

I cannot see the river far below

But I can hear it tumbling on the weir.

Amid the tree, rough walls and ivy cheer

The darkening trunks, and small spring flowers grow

In brief profusion.  Here, close to the keep,

The battled walls and greying ramparts rise

From banks of rain-washed grasses to thin skies

Of slowly drifting clouds, pointing toward sleep.

Between recitals, before the evening meal,

I have these moments to myself - no, no,

Not to myself, for you are here, and so

Each sight, each sound, is shared, become more rea;

For knowing you are always here with me

Transforms each moment to eternity.

Brian Hick May 2013

©copyright Sally Hick 20.6.25

 1232

A sparrow on the rooftop Psalm 102 v 7

I'd rather be a sparrow in a tree

            Knowing that yo know that I am here

            Than any smartly suited millionaire

Who assumes that money makes him free.

Does he delight in mornings such as this?

            Does he see the sunlight through the haze?

            Does he sense bright heaven's song of praise

Or a father's thrill at his child's kiss?

I heard you say that though I looked so small

            I mattered to you and my tiny life

            Was sacred, worthy of the time and strife

You'd put in to ensure I did not fall,

And, if you did that, why should I fear

            Singing out to wake up this sad world

            To the glories he has here unfurled

For everyone, who has ears to hear.

Brian Hick December 2012

©copyright  Sally Hick 18.12.24

 1144

Psalm

I love your silence

And the way you smile

When I rave and curse

Demanding you act now

Saying you don't care

You never listen,

When all the time

If only I would stop

For just one second

Your silence would speak worlds

And in the flow

The heat would melt away

And I would grow.

Brian Hick March 2012

©copyright Sally Hick 26.3.24

 1131

Lenten Psalm 12 3 12

The sea mist over Galley Hill greys out

The western cliffs,

But on the beach, east of the pier,

Sun calms the tidal drifts

Where scarce a ripple turns the edge

And gulls, far from the shore,

Call lazily above the waves

And do not ask for more.

I sit and know that you are here

In everything I see,

In every pebble on this beach,

For all are here for me - 

Not because I am special

Or subject of this scene

But because I'm part of it

As you have always been;

And here, this quiet morning,

Delighting in the peace

Which I know you alone can bring

To us, help me to cease

The strife that separates us,

Pour on us from above,

Like this sunlight which warms our hearts,

Your never-ending Love.

Brian Hick 12th March 2012

©copyright Sally Hick 6.3.24

 1118

Psalm

You teach me how to love by loving me,

Speaking to my heart, so that I dare

To answer you - though how can my words be

Enough, which never, ever will come near

The soft immensity of time you give

To any who have found the time to wait.

How can I, in these few years I'll live,

Start to repay the debt upon my slate

Banked through eternity and owed to you,

Who give me life, as if I alone

Mattered, and all that's good and true

Were just for me, though for so long unknown?

            So everything that I can be is yours

            And with creation worships and adores.

Brian Hick February 2012

©copyright Sally Hick 13.2.24

 1022

Psalm

You have blessed me this day

You have moved me on

To a place I had not expected.

When I despaired and was ready to give up

You waited, supported, then gave me the word

Which touched my soul.

A word so quiet I did not hear it

A word so indistinct it had no meaning

A word which pierced my soul

Without pain or comprehension.

A word which changed my heart

And then my mind

So now I am renewed

My body ready for the task

The Word has set before me.

Brian Hick September 2011

©copyright Sally Hick 24.10.23

 942

Psalm

An empty church; a quiet afternoon.

I sit and read some chapters of Isaiah

But cannot concentrate, for all too soon

My mind drifts off from texts that don't inspire

To thoughts of you, in hope you will appear.

Silence creeps around me but the mass

Of clashing words within my head shear

Away the hope of any lasting peace -

A war unheard but raging even here.

Must I ever fight to find the balm

That heals this deepening wound, this lingering snare

Which eats away my soul destroying calm?

Oh for a touch, a hint that you will come

And rescue me from what I have become.

Brian Hick May 2011

©copyright Sally Hick 26.5.23