Paper cut out of a white tomb with a rolled away stone. In the dark space of the tomb are the words "He is not here."

Passion and Easter poems exploring agency in the gospel stories

Expressing wonder, comfort and humour, but also anger, longing and lament, these poems grapple with the themes of agency and choice as they explore stories from Jesus’s passion and resurrection.

I had the idea for this series when, quite unexpectedly, I wrote a poem lamenting loss of rhythm. I published it on Ash Wednesday 2021, but then continued to write a poem each week up until Ascension Sunday. You can read them individually or download PDF booklets.

A5, on landscape A4
A6, print double-sided on portrait A4 (flip long edge) (creates two booklets)

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Where has the cadence gone? A lament during times without structure. February 17, 2021 - For stave and ink and voice and song, Are grieving lest they leave – or dare forget their art.
Neutral choice (a poem inspired by Mary of Bethany when she anointed Jesus with spikenard) February 21, 2021 - If only there were a neutral gift, That made no claim of worth or cost
Profile picture of a young donkey with the text over the top: My neighbour's colt, a poem inspired by Jesus's entry into Jerusalem. Faith in Grey Places My neighbour’s colt – a poem inspired by Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem February 28, 2021 - Is simple trust enough to bear, The weight of what we’re saying here?
Brown parchment background with text over the top: Don't ask (a poem about Jesus debating on his own terms) Faith in Grey Places Don’t ask (a poem about the debates Jesus had) March 7, 2021 - But don’t ask me for a sign, As if your words were not malign.
Sunset over the sea with small waves crashing close to the camera. Text over the top: The Longest Sabbath - A poem reflecting on Jesus's prayer: "Not my will but yours." Faith in Grey Places The Longest Sabbath (a poem reflecting on Jesus’s prayer: “Not my will but yours”) March 14, 2021 - I came to you with the sorrow of Job, Yet your long silence has brought me all the joy of Creation Week.
Close up picture of a rich woman in a large ornate room, sitting on a red and gold couch, wearing a tiara, looking out towards the light with a concerned look on her face. Has the text: His blood and his body, a poem reflecting on when Pilate washed his hands His blood and his body (a poem reflecting on when Pilate washed his hands) March 21, 2021 - And who would have thought the man Had so much blood in him?
A single cross standing on a dark plain, silhouetted on a blue and purple sunset, with the words: Father, forgive (two poems inspired by Jesus's words on the cross) Faith in Grey Places Father, forgive (two poems inspired by Jesus’s words on the cross) March 28, 2021 - Father, forgive me, For I do not want to know, What I am doing.
Paper cut-out of a tomb with the stone rolled away, against a brown background with light seeping through from above. Text: A question, not a criticism (a poem reflecting on the resurrection accounts) Faith in Grey Places A question, not a criticism (a poem reflecting on the resurrection accounts) April 4, 2021 - To observe where you’re at, To give you your voice
Woman sitting on the edge of a balcony in a city looking up at a large sign that says "JESUS SAVES". Text over the top: A sonnet from a modern Thomas (reflecting on what it takes to share our faith). Faith in Grey Places A sonnet from a modern Thomas (reflecting on what it takes to share our faith) April 11, 2021 - It’s not that I would leave my reason, or Would be coerced in my confession, nor Do I believe that you would want such things.
Picture looking out to the sea from the edge of the shore with yellow and pink sky. Word: The morning after (a poem for when your faith has been rocked) Faith in Grey Places Loneliness in the morning after (a poem for when your faith has been rocked) April 18, 2021 - I find that I cannot be sure, The way that I was sure before.
Close up of sheep standing in rough pasture in warm evening light with one sheep looking directly at the camera. Text on top: Son of Jonah (a poem reflecting on when Jesus reinstated Peter) Faith in Grey Places Son of Jonah (a poem reflecting on when Jesus reinstated Peter) April 25, 2021 - So Peter, trust me when I say I’m trusting you, To feed and tend each precious lamb and ram and ewe.
Small section of the baptismal stained glass window at Coventry Cathedral with the words: Looking back from Emmaus (a poem about how we make sense of our experiences) Faith in Grey Places Looking back from Emmaus (a poem about how we make sense of our experiences) May 2, 2021 - The picture was complete If we could but see it.
Picture of an empty stone coffin with a marble plaque above it quoting words from Mark 16 where the angels say Jesus is risen. Text over the top: The strangest part (a poem celebrating the resurrection stories of Jesus) Faith in Grey Places The strangest part (a poem celebrating the resurrection stories of Jesus) May 9, 2021 - Who would steal a dead man’s corpse and choose to leave behind the linen?
Picture looking up at the statue Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, against an azure sky with a single white puffy cloud in the sky. Words: Divine comedy (a poem reflecting on Jesus's ascension) Faith in Grey Places Divine comedy (a poem reflecting on Jesus’s ascension) May 16, 2021 - And if I saw him rise and then ascend, My cynic’s not so easy to defend.
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