My Poems

Posts that contain my poems

Postscript – Mother and Jesus on Mother’s Day

richinaword My Poems Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

A postscript Post – For Mother’s Day, 12 May in Australia …

There are two important passages concerning Jesus and his close caring contact with his mother.

The Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11): This is where Jesus performs his first miracle, turning water into wine, at a wedding feast in Cana. Jesus’ mother Mary plays a significant role in this event, as she informs Jesus that the hosts have run out of wine. Although Jesus initially seems hesitant to intervene, Mary instructs the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do, prompting him to perform the miracle. It is the start of his public ministry at the bequest of Mary.

The Crucifixion (John 19:25-27): During the crucifixion of Jesus, we see Mary standing near the cross along with other women, witnessing her son’s suffering. Jesus, in his final moments, entrusts the care of his mother to the beloved disciple (traditionally identified as John), saying to Mary, “Woman, behold your son!” and to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” This passage highlights Jesus’ concern for his mother’s well-being.

In the time of Jesus the stereotype image of mother is one of subservience and background duties as an adjunct to male dominance. Today the mother image has changed but father image has become tainted by current domestic violence concerns. Those victims of such abuse might well hold negativity in the reference to our father and heaven in the Lord’s Prayer. Especially those outside the traditional church view of Father. And those that equate creation with love outside personification.

I attempted to find some balance by including a reference to mother in the following contemporary version below …

Our Father

Our Father, Mother of all life living in timeless beauty
        your name is sacred always to be praised and adored
you created our world and continue to transform
                                          the wonder of your creation

we thank you each day for having given us your son

forgive our wrong behaviour
as we forgive the wrongs of others

                       you know us intimately,  
                                                    guide our lives and protect us from harm

for you are all good, pure love, and perfect
            all honour, power, and glory are yours now and forever.

                                                                    
                                Richard Scutter (first published in a Yass Valley Writers anthology)

Nothing Doing – a response to the wanton Ukraine destruction

richinaword My Poems Tags: , , 1 Comment 
Nothing Doing
on a visit to a dying nun

and again seeing
the rubble of some impossible buildings
people are emerging through the tangled mess
probably a three-year-old girl
her left hand holds a tatty bear
her right hand is held tight by her mother

the camera focuses on her face
her eyes vacant, expressionless
someone in the nursing-home
presses the remote

the screen blanks
nothing

she is propped up by two cushions
prepared for my visit
she gives a gentle smile

as blue eyes spark into life
her frail hand motions
to the chair by her bed
I think it sad that she will
leave this world in such
a hopeless state

soon she will be silent
her body gone
nothing

but when Russians fire their bullets
she will be there in her nothing
bleeding her impervious spirit
while holding the hand
of a three-year-old girl

Richard Scutter July 2022

The image of the child portrayed in the above was from TV news footage several months back.

‘Floating’ – Marking the 21st Anniversary – SIEV X Tragedy

richinaword My Poems, Other words on poetry, Poetry Announcements Tags: , , , , , 1 Comment
The SIEVX Memorial Weston Park, Canberra
Each pole represents a death, the height distinguishes between adults and children.
Floating

early morning sunshine brightens 
enlightening the wide expanse 
bobbing gently up and down in calm waters, 
a dead mother with umbilical cord 
still attached to her baby 

far, far away over the waves 
in a totally foreign land 
it is breakfast time as a politician
sips coffee and reaches for another piece of toast
certain that his decisions are right 

Richard Scutter October 2022

Although the ACT government supported the installation of the memorial, the National Capital Authority were placed in an awkward position as it was strongly opposed by the government of the time. Permission was withheld for a year, and in an act of defiance, 2,000 Canberrans joined the 300 artists, church, and school groups and in a special ceremony held the memorial up by hand for five minutes. 


The Refugee Action Campaign Website

Details of the Memorial on Wikipedia

Some ‘Reunion’ Words

richinaword My Poems Tags: , , 2 Comments 
Travelling back, going forward
(at the village reunion)

Of course you can’t go back, the mind
plays tricks distorting, colouring at will,
and you imagine what it will be like -
to meet up again. But nothing prepares you 
for the actuality of that first encounter.

There will be some you haven’t seen
for fifty years along with some that you
will never see again. You accept that initial
shock of change before recognition and
the acknowledgment of ‘yes it is him, or her’.

Then it is the past living again, the past
that attaches irrevocably, continuously,
the past you can’t escape from. Someone
says ‘do you remember’ and you likewise
retort ‘do you remember!’ each triggering.

And they are here now, with you again. Their 
memories coalesced with your understanding.
The way it was. And smiles broaden in the 
wake of rekindled friendship when the
world was opening wide before you.

They say ‘you haven’t changed’. They are
oblivious to the you that is now. But perhaps
they are right, that there is something permanent
beneath the skin. A certain character which you 
unwittingly showed in those formative years.
 
But it was something quite unexpected that
totally caught you off balance. A forgotten
girlfriend recognised you instantly welcoming
you with an immediate hug. She still slim in body
and in that brief moment a perfect fit.

Then time to disperse, to pick up the threads
of ongoing life, to let that unsettling emotional
swing subside. You were part of them and
they will remain part of you. And the past 
continues irrevocably to define who you are.

Richard Scutter July 2019

Nevertheless – An Easter Poem

richinaword My Poems Tags: , 2 Comments 
Nevertheless
nevertheless, it is true 
nevertheless, whether you believe, 
believe elsewhere 
or just don’t believe
for nevertheless He is latent, 
the he that exists or doesn’t exist, 
nevertheless, supporting you
recognised or not
nevertheless it is nice to know too, 
that he cares! 
and nevertheless his light 
shines through this Easter
nevertheless, yes, nevertheless 
you care to open the window
Richard Scutter Easter 2022

A follow up on my previous Easter Post where Michael Thwaites used that one word ‘Nevertheless’ in his poem ‘The Word’.

Easter greetings to all.

May you be brightened by the light that is the power of love.

A Message to my Granddaughters

richinaword My Poems Tags: , , , 1 Comment
Mt Ainslie, Canberra – looking down on the city centre and Lake Burley Griffin
A Message to my Granddaughters 
in response to Michael Thwaites
Sometimes you slowly still, 
and within a certain satisfaction exudes 
into a self-absorbed contentment. 
And you say a quiet thank you, 
as a peace envelops the soul. 
Sometimes you slowly still.
I chose a marvellous city to call home,
the break of morning, the stars departing, 
The mirror lake, the cutting Autumn air,
The sun unfolding on the Brindabellas –
I chose a marvellous city to call home.
And what a city, your native city.
The expansive view from Mt Ainslie
portrays Walter Burley Griffin’s plan in 
the continual change of trees, hills, water,
his forever friends in living beauty.
And in this vista, commanding features - 
St John’s Church, the War Memorial, 
Civic Centre, The National Library, 
the new and old Parliament buildings,
Regatta Point, Commonwealth Gardens, 
Capital Hill … and so much more, caught 
in the moment of an Autumn morning.
But will you appreciate in likewise fashion 
And will your days stretch to a contented life 
and will you, when time falls back against the years, 
will you … well, who knows! …
But on this morning, I will say again –
I chose a marvellous city to call home.

Richard Scutter March 2022, Canberra

March is the start of Autumn in Canberra. And this year it has not been a case of a sweltering summer and the autumn change will not be so dramatic; but always a time to appreciate the beauty of the changing colours of the trees.

And on this day, it is a time to value your home wherever you live. Hopefully, your home has not been violated by needless violence generated by future fear from another country.

All the best, Richard

Australia Day – A Personal Poem

richinaword My Poems Tags: , , , , 5 Comments
The Galileo Galilei – Courtesy of the Western Australia Museum, Perth

Australia, Australia, Australia
It was the dignified ship horn blasts that heralded hello 
together with the salute from a myriad of smaller craft 
that highlighted the welcome …
… giving their shake wave acknowledgement 
against the magnificence of our sizeable vessel - 
the ‘Galileo’. The ship moved at a stately slow pace.
As the bow cut gracefully in the still sea, it was 
as if, from the depths, a bubbling champagne effervescence 
glittered glorious Spring sunshine into life.
That unforgettable early Sunday morning in September 1969. 
After four weeks, standing on top deck with ‘Rottnest Island' on the right, 
and ‘Fremantle’ discernible and increasing in definition.
That first impression, the hello to a new life, 
a new country, a new week, and that first day  
of my beginning -
Australia, Australia, Australia
I try to hold on to that memory, 
of that initial day. Like catching a new fish, 
fresh out of the sea.
That amazing sight of something stunningly beautiful 
just caught and held against the light of day - 
those first few moments.

Australia, Australia, Australia

Richard Scutter 26 January 2022, Australia Day

Galileo Galilei – A Lloyd Triestino ship built in 1963 that plied migrants from Italy to Australia
Rottnest – an Island close to Freemantle, the port entrance to city of Perth, Western Australia