JAMES TAYLOR’S NEW HYMN

Posted on July 24, 2004 by Dave Pollard

jtSource of all we hope or dread,
Sheepdog, jackal, rattler, swan,
We hunt your face and long to trust
That your hid mouth will say again
Let there be light, a clear new day.
But when we thirst in this dry night,
We drink from hot wells
Poisoned with the blood of children.
And when we strain to hear a steady homing beam,
Our ears are balked by stifled moans
And howls of desolation
From the throats of sisters, brothers, wild men,
Clawing at the gates for bread.

Even our own feeble hands
Aim to seize the crown you wear
And work our private havoc
Through the known and unknown lands of space.

Absolute in flame beyond us,
Seed and source of Dark and Day,
Maker whom we beg to be
Our mother, father, comrade, mate.

Till our few atoms blow to dust
Or form again in wiser lives
Or find your face and hear our name
In your calm voice, the end of night.
If dark may end,
Wellspring gold of Dark and Day,
Be Here,
Be Now.
   
      – James Taylor, New Hymn

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2 Responses to JAMES TAYLOR’S NEW HYMN

  1. gbreez says:
    July 24, 2004 at 11:58

    Exquisite. James does it again. The poet reflects the heart’s questions, visions, doubts, and hopes so beautifully.

  2. kathy says:
    April 2, 2005 at 16:47

    I have replayed this song over and over today.He truly has a way of speaking to one’s heart and soul.K

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