John Dunn

Some other person wrote this poem; a man from a different time, when people read other things called books. Some other person wrote this poem. He was living through a period of great change, when the old views were challenged, and new perspectives pushed their way in. It was a time of great realisation and danger- yes danger; everything might have been lost. He was close to death, which probably meant he was close to new life. Is close near enough? Is close all that is possible? "Gift of life" indeed.

No Loss of Discernment

I hold a secret, a solitude of my being,
Which God alone can penetrate and understand.

Being apart from the mass of other men,
Leaves me able to love others as I ought.

I am aware that false solitude is self-centred.
And no longer shrink from the good things in life
Or other lives, because I need not possess them.

My soul is drawn towards the desert,
But I no longer object to life in the city.

I will not travel far unless I leave my words behind,
For silence is the destination.

If I poured my life out in useless words,
There’d be nothing to hear from the depth of my heart.

Loving God leads me to love the silence,
For there will be no loss of discernment.

I’ll avoid chatter, and not fear life as if it were death,
For silence makes death a servant and friend.

As the eloquence of death and human poverty
Confront the riches of divine mercy,
I discern the risen Lord and his gift of life
in the depth of my soul.

© John Dunn.