What's new in May: Poems for our times

I hope that this finds you all well and coping with the restrictions on your lives.
This note is to give you an update on where we are with the plans to restore our lovely church to its former glory.

We have an active Buildings and Grants sub-committee who are busy going over plans for the work to be done. Unfortunately the result of this is that the amount of money to be raised has increased to somewhere in the region of £750K, so we need to crack on as soon as we possibly can. The buildings team are in discussion with the architect so that as soon as possible the immediate work to make the church safe can be done. Then once this current crisis is all over we will be able to have a service in the church to give thanks for coming through.

The Publicity committee is also very active, setting up information on the Forncett info website and creating Facebook and Wikipedia pages. When these are in full swing I will give you the log in details so that you can view the info yourselves.

The Events sub-committee have also met to discuss any way that we can further the social side of things during the current crisis. We are very keen to still have our bric-a-brac sale and hope that we may be able to hold this in late summer or early autumn. Its impossible to make positive plans but we are very keen to get the ball rolling as soon as we can. If any of you have ideas for events to be held, either during or after the crisis, please let me know. We are very aware that many people are experiencing financial restrictions and so asking friends to pay for virtual events would be wrong. There are so many charities in severe need of funds and ours is just one of many. However, I have been surprised to receive some donations for the fund even at this time.

If there is anyone who would like to donate please make cheques payable toUpper Tas Valley All Saints PCC Project and send to me at 26 The Poplars, Forncett St Peter, NR16 1HP.

Last time I asked for poems about the current crisis. I received three and here they are:

In the Time of Covid (with apologies to Gabriel Marquez Garcia)            

In the time of Covid
Spring slipped in behind
Death's dark juggernaut.
And while contagion blind
Its victims sought,
White laced blackthorn and blossom
Brushed with pink, and primrose banks
Bloomed to songs of tiny birds.
And when screens remorseless ranked
Numbers, pain and grief,
The buds of tenderest green broke from their sheath.

 

Going with the Geese  

My eyes were on the shirts and socks and pants,
My mind was thinking "Oh, I'll have to put a stitch in that,
The knees on those were looking bare
I don't know where I'll get another pair!"
And then I heard from overhead,
A sound that made my heart turn over
And such a longing for - I don't know what - take over
The geese were flying where the planes once were,
Making their arrows in the air.

They were so fine, so purposeful and so intent,
And I was just a speck below them, by a washing line,
With all my powers of human intellect and thought,
Standing in a garden, hanging out a shirt - a dot.
I would have gone to them,
And soared around the world with neck outstretched,
Beyond the edges of my discontent.
We'd share the morning's end and evening coming,
And circle all the earth with heartbeats drumming,
And breathe the high, cool air of empty places,
And feel the wind of freedom in our faces.

I wanted wings, and think they nearly came,
But then I heard a human voice,
"Are you OK?"
And all my geese have flown away.