Don't let them blow away

I walked out on a blowy day
I thought as I went along my way
At how the world is so full of people
Cars and houses too.
So many different clothes and faces
So many different colours and races

And then I felt a burden come
To know the meaning of this one
What am I, one man, to do
With so many souls
Just passing through?

So there I sat upon a bench
Until I thought my heart would wrench
I asked the Father to speak to me
What is my life supposed to be?

The the wind blew
Gusting strong
And all the leaves started racing along
They scurried and skipped
And danced and tripped

My thoughts were stirred
My gaze fixed upon
As if God had just
"where I blow....men follow along"
They have no choice but to live and then die,
To blow from here to where, and why?

In a lull, the wind abated
The rushing stopped, next gust awaited
A passer-by without asking why
Just stopped and picked up a tumbled leaf...
My heart skipped a beat
I leapt from my seat! 

Again the multitude raced by
And I quickly stopped one which caught my eye
Then I stumbled after the next
Gathering, laughing
Out of breath!

On and on they aimlessly raced
But I'd saved a few from an unknown place

To stop and hold these passing leaves
Brought great joy, at last, to me
I realised exactly what God would say
"These leaves are like souls...don't let them blow away".

Joe Morriss
2005

A Mother's touch

Beneath the morning grey she bends
Within her clasped hands coloured flowers
Whilst as the mourning grave she tends
And whiles away a lonely hour.

Her son, the grown man
No longer sees
What looking up she sees of him,
As sun falls through the autumn leaves
And the homely Robin sings his hymn.

A violet bunch of varied stems
Heather, Vetch and Tare
her aged fingers parting them
And placing each with care.

Each year remembered
This stony bed
A fragrant beauty feels
As life long ended rests its head
Where a mother's touch has healed.


Joe Morriss
October 5th 2014

Milestones

Everybody has to start somewhere
At birth
The beginning of everything
Thrust out of the nest
Into this world's mess
Left helpless and begging.

Then comes the growing
Perpetual state of watching and learning
Each new skill and quest
Enjoyed and put to the test
But still a sense of longing and yearning

Long days spent simply living
Age brings change and with it decaying
Nothing new now but labour and task
Every day the same as the last
has anyone been listening to what you've been saying?

But what of the other journey?
The one that starts in crisis
The unfamiliar turning
No longer at the mercy of our own devices.

The young man following his dream
Is as wise as the oldest sage
In that moment of stepping out
A shining star at the dawn of his age

The eyes of the heart are opened
The way ahead is clear
He travels surefooted and unhindered
And free from all that clinging fear

What is a moment of selfless giving
If not the real beginning?
The kindled spark of inspiration
Like a leap of joy at the sound of singing

All that remains is to stay the course
Each step marked by a firm decision
A sacrifice of what could have been yours
Moves you onward toward the vision

And so like milestones along the way
Marking the way to the journey's goal
A choice is made day after day
To follow the new and forget the old.

Joe Morriss

31st July 2010  

The Working Man's Horizon

Every man has an horizon

The broad sweep of his apprehension

His habitat and the extent of his toil

Hard worked for land and landscape

Familiar ruts and dykes

Dug from his native soil.

Bounded by well walked woody lanes and hedgerows

Full of verdant texture and shape

With pretty worts and flowers

Of varying hue

Scattered round the fence and gate.

Secret animal tracks run here and there

Deserted by day, but at night a thoroughfare.

The sound of birdsong, sweet and true

Echoes through wood and treetop too,

Their song is a praise to God's restful busyness

A counterpoint to man's fruitless restlessness.

As I walk this well worn boundary

And make my way through the familiar yield

I feel the promise of familiar paths

The solid safety of the spacious field.

And with the hearts of all humble, working men

The desire to dream and hope again.

Joe Morriss

19th May 2010

Chasing Shadows

You are helpless in your struggles

And your anger rises fast

Each day the sickness grows within

As you hold onto the past

You fought hard to build my kingdom

And you say that it's not fair

That others who just sat and watched

Are just as welcome there.

But I can soothe your bitter thoughts

And calm your angry fears

If you'll look up from your bloody mess

And cry those gentle tears.

So tell me all about it

Before you turn and walk away

Before all that's left

Is your broken heart

As night turns into day.

The sun will rise to greet you

If you'll only turn and see

Then you won't be chasing shadows,

You'll be following where I lead.

Joe Morriss

February 2013

Reflection on helplessness and failure after trying to "do more" to please God in the face of apparent defeat.