Sarum College logo
  • Learning
    • Short Courses
    • Exploring Theology
    • Prospective Students
    • Postgraduate Study & Research
      • Postgraduate study in Theology, Imagination & Culture
      • Postgraduate Study in Christian Spirituality
      • Postgraduate study in Theology, Ministry and Mission
    • Theology, Imagination & Culture
    • Christian Spirituality
    • Bible & Sacred Texts
    • Human Flourishing
    • Leadership Learning
    • Spiritual Direction
    • Private Stays, Retreats, Study Breaks and Sabbaticals
    • Library
      • Guide to Library Services
    • Learning Resources
  • Ministry
    • Ordination
      • Undergraduate Award
      • Postgraduate Award
      • Rural ministry
      • Parish-based pioneer ministry
    • Licensed Lay Ministry / Readers
    • Independent Study
  • Hospitality
  • Courses & Events Diary
  • Get in touch
Sarum College logo
  • About Us
    • Our People
    • Governance
    • Work with us
  • Safeguarding
  • News
  • Donate
  • Learning
    • Short Courses
    • Exploring Theology
    • Prospective Students
    • Postgraduate Study & Research
      • Postgraduate study in Theology, Imagination & Culture
      • Postgraduate Study in Christian Spirituality
      • Postgraduate study in Theology, Ministry and Mission
    • Theology, Imagination & Culture
    • Christian Spirituality
    • Bible & Sacred Texts
    • Human Flourishing
    • Leadership Learning
    • Spiritual Direction
    • Private Stays, Retreats, Study Breaks and Sabbaticals
    • Library
      • Guide to Library Services
    • Learning Resources
  • Ministry
    • Ordination
      • Undergraduate Award
      • Postgraduate Award
      • Rural ministry
      • Parish-based pioneer ministry
    • Licensed Lay Ministry / Readers
    • Independent Study
  • Hospitality
  • Courses & Events Diary
  • Get in touch

Lock-Down Poetry: Five Songs – a Holy Week Sequence

Home News Lock-Down Poetry: Five Songs – a Holy Week Sequence

Contribution to our poetry series on the Sarum College Blog, by Mark Pryce

‘Five Songs – a Holy Week Sequence’ – is made up of poems which emerged during the pascal season when there was a rare stillness, particularly at night – fewer cars, no aeroplanes – and skies clear of pollution to reveal an extraordinary ‘pink moon’, bright stars and sometimes the distinctive rushing of the clouds.

The images come from taking walks at night or in the early morning when the skies seemed particularly evocative of an inner, spiritual experience. The words did not come all at once but emerged as spontaneous responses to what I was observing in the world of the sky and the world of the Scripture readings, which I found myself writing down over several days after times of prayer and reflection.

These random words and phrases have since been shaped into verses – the tight, economical ‘haiku’ form of three lines of five, seven, five syllables – and then sorted into a sequence which loosely reflects the pattern of the Triduum – Maundy Thursday evening in the garden of Gethsemane: ‘Pink Moon’ and ‘Night Clouds’; Good Friday at Golgotha ‘Tree Writing’; Holy Saturday/Easter Eve desolation: ‘In Isolation’; and Easter morning as dawn breaks and the disciples go to the tomb in fear: ‘Sky, Easter Morning’.

Five Songs – A Holy Week Sequence 2020

|

Pink Moon

Free in her vast sky,

beside the night-time walker’s

small head of chatter

seen with eyes which peer

through the wardrobe, looking-glass

to a world of light.

|

Night clouds

wind unexpected

clouds flee the garden afraid

linen blowing loose.

|

Tree Writing

From stretched limbs, hurt side

read what blood ink signs write out

words only touch can hear.

|

In isolation

Tonight’s lone star peers

Venus in her clouded sky

face at a window.

|

Sky, Easter morning

Lingering moon casts side-way glances

to random stars on eyes’ street corners,

lookouts for first light.

Wreckage strewn across dawn’s carriageway,

mess of uncleared supper, tangled bed

after fevered nights.

Read the Sarum Blog to keep up to date with our poetry selection.

The Revd Canon Dr Mark Pryce is a visiting scholar in the Sarum College Centre for Human Flourishing. He is director of Ministry, Birmingham Diocese and Chaplain to The Queen. 

Previous postNext post

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sarum College logo

Get in touch

  • info@sarum.ac.uk
  • 01722 424800

Find us on maps

  • Sarum College, 19 The Close, Salisbury, SP1 2EE, UK

Stay in the know

Sign up to our newsletter

Learning

  • Prospective Students
  • Theology, Imagination & Culture
  • Christian Spirituality
  • Bible & Sacred Texts
  • Exploring Theology
  • Human Flourishing
  • Leadership Learning
  • Spiritual Direction
  • Learning Resources

Postgraduate study & research

  • Postgraduate Study in Christian Spirituality
  • Postgraduate study in Theology, Imagination & Culture
  • Postgraduate study in Theology, Ministry and Mission
  • Library

Ministry

  • Ordination
  • Licensed Lay Ministry / Readers
  • Independent Study
  • Parish-based pioneer ministry
  • Postgraduate Award
  • Rural ministry
  • Undergraduate Award

The College

  • About Us
  • Travel to Sarum College
  • Our People
  • Governance
  • Hospitality
  • Private Stays, Retreats, Study Breaks and Sabbaticals
  • Work with us

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy|Accessibility

© 2023 Sarum College|Registered Charity No. 1161253|Company No. 9510356|Sarum College's trading subsidiary is Sarum College Services Ltd, Company No. 1931038|Website by blue bee

Sign up to our newsletter

Fill in and submit the form below and we'll add you to our mailing list for news about Sarum College.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.