To Set the Soul Aflame

I caught the thread of an immortal ode

Somewhere at the outer edge of mind,

A gift it was and graciously bestowed

But my skills were weak my knowledge ill-defined,

A mediocre bard who penned a line

But missed the rhythm and the pulse yet strove

To find a motived phrase that would define,

The vision that came burdened with such love.

I focused prayer as on a candle’s flame

Expunging from consciousness the outward sense

That sees the world a challenge or a game

Or vehicle for personal recompense,

Then wandered through the stubble-fields of words

Searching for the metres that might climb

Beyond the facile phrase like soaring birds

Distil the essence of the Word sublime.

When light now comes I call upon the Name

For one brief poem to set the soul aflame.