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Poem: “Confessional”

by on May 25, 2017 in Poetry
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Confessional

Now that I kneel at the throne, O Queen,
Pity and pardon me.
Much have I striven to sing the same,
Brother of beast and tree;
Yet when the stars catch me alone
Never a linnet sings-
And the blood of a man is a bitter voice
And cries for foolish things.

Not for me be the vaunt of woe;
Was not I from a boy
Vowed with the helmet and spear and spur
To the blood-red banner of joy?
A man may sing his psalms to a stone,
Pour his blood for a weed,
But the tears of a man are a sudden thing,
And come not of his creed.

Nay, but the earth is kind to me,
Though I cry for a star,
Leaves and grasses, feather and flower,
Cover the foolish scar,
Prophets and saints and seraphim
Lighten the load with song,
And the heart of a man is a heavy load
For a man to bear along.

G.K. Chesterton


G. K. Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English writer, philosopher, biographer, and literary and art critic. He who wrote 80 books, hundreds of poems, approximately 200 short stories, and several plays. He wrote the book called The Everlasting Man, which led a young atheist named C.S. Lewis to become a Christian. His best-known character is the priest-detective Father Brown who appeared in short stories. His most famous novel is The Man Who Was Thursday. He was a Christian before he became a Catholic. Christian themes and symbolism appear in much of his writing.
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