26 Jun And John said, No More
Bones formed for God to make straight crooked ways
He, an uncaged sparrow: cinctured belt, unshod
Stumbled but never fell
Dwelled in hovel’d barrow for these last-of-days
Ruled by desert beasts
Pure blood of impure priest and miracle, Samu-el
Widens waters, murky tea
Not to wipe these tear but to call for fire for crowns, for briar
Has washed with rain to anticipate
When after many years softly steps, come and see
Lamb into Near East Seine washing clean Jordan spate
To snowy fingered wool flushed as blood
He saw a further flood million times sixty-three
Souls lost, lost, lost in neither heaven nor earth
Such a swirling looming pool calls coals on heads, holocaust
But God remembers all
From sudden springs a bud on summer wish and sea
John washed his day of birth and Herods see their enemy
Sleepless with light a yoke stumble but never fall
By grace suffering-long whisp’ring wire sanctity
He holds his head in heaven-song
A nursery rhyme his father spoke
Us pilgrims who sit in darkness and in the rotting of night
The dayspring from on high hath visited us to show light
Their bones are the Lord’s
Your wicked hand alone is yours
Its calloused reach He records
Now turn at this holy hour
To the wind, where it rests He endows with gallant power
Violet crowns on iris flower
This world is His and always was
You are His guests
Now into darkness you may choose with gnashing fang and saffron hues
But walk beneath His pouring cup and be made clean because
If His Son he delivered up how much worse for you
If the sky furls its mizzen’d blue and you see my words are true
Repent and believe or err and be grieved
So when moon was gone and death was sore
God sent us a trickled dawn with reddened sky, yearling fawn
Wettened branches and sparrow score and John said, no more
And Jesus Christ, friend of John raised a hand to adjure,
Whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do
That the Father may be glorified in the Son
Ask of Me, I say to you
It will be done