Today, another beautiful return to a Proost book from 2007, Holy Darkness, by Sophie Dutton. We have paired this poem with Jaclyn Stuart’s beautiful painting ‘From one king to another’.
Three Gifts
This is based on something I wrote for a Visions service
about 3 years ago.
To the baby in the manger, I bring Gold.
I bring water fights on hot summers days,
making snow angels in the middle of winter.
I bring autumn walks kicking up the leaves.
I bring the first buds of spring.
I bring trips to the park, a child running to embrace you,
jumping into your arms.
I bring a lover’s walk barefoot down a beach.
I bring happiness,
I bring joy,
I bring hope,
I bring love,
I bring laughter and dancing and singing and playing.
To the baby in the manger, I bring Frankincense.
I bring friends gathering in prayer,
shared meals and shared washing up.
I bring icons and post-it notes,
overhead projectors and prayer books.
I bring all flavours of all faiths.
I bring togetherness.
I bring bread and wine, beer and crisps, pringles and coke.
I bring communion.
I bring prayers,
I bring hopes,
I bring dreams.
I bring our futures.
I bring communities and friendships.
To the baby in the manger, I bring Myrrh.
I bring endings.
I bring the arguments that end a friendship,
the bitterness that ends a marriage,
the accident that ends a life.
I bring the grief,
the wondering about what could have and should
have been.
I bring sleepless nights and dream swept days.
I bring weeping,
I bring bitterness.
I bring grief,
I bring sorrow.
I bring the sadness and the tears and pain.
To the baby in the manger,
I bring life,
life in all its fullness.
Sophie Dutton Holy Darkness 2007 Proost
