Andrew – a poem by Kenneth Steven

Andrew

Make a garden out of everything you’ve lost                                                                                                  in this no man’s land so broken and so gaunt –                                                                                          old brick and bone. Make it before the frost,                                                                                           this space between dull walls that no-one wants.                                                                                           First for the birds: plant a wooden table deep                                                                                                and scatter it with seeds. Come down some day                                                                                            to catch a gust of goldfinch blowing in, and keep                                                                                                   the moment safe: such memories should never fray.                                                                                             Now that you’ve found a hiding place to bring                                                                                             your deepest fears and dreams, stand here to pray                                                                               even on raining days and hear the wet grey sing;                                                                                                 lift up your face to let the drops wash fear away.                                                                                                                 More than all else, make this a place of light –                                                                                           for the stars to come in gemstones every night. 

Kenneth Steven is widely published as a poet, a writer of fiction and as a translator (from Norwegian). The lion’s share of his work is inspired by Iona and the Celtic Christian story. His volume of selected poems Iona was published a couple of years back by Paraclete Press in the States.