Invited Talk

It was a pleasant Sunday afternoon

when I preached to

a host of young future priests

about outer space

and inner regimes,

an apocalypse of withered spirits

which reading alone can save.

A few winced, others sat rigid,

some slept with open eyes,

while one took down every word

diligently in his notebook.

After awhile they led me up

a flight of stairs

to cut the ribbon

of a library, with creaking shelves,

updated with old books.

It smelt of ancient history, poetry,

psychology, theology...

crumbling leaves

whispering knowledge

in Latin, English and

mother tongue.

 As I walked back home

with the after taste

of the spot of tea and biscuits

the rector respectfully offered,

I mused on the ways

we all try to save the world.