We stopped to listen to the wind,

We raised our gaze towards the sky,

The horizon faded, then softly grinned,

Flirting as sculpted clouds sailed by;

The lines were drawn, the pace was set,

Flowers declaimed their own alphabet,

The rains flew in, the birds were pushed,

The trees were cunningly ambushed,

Wild elements clashed with battered senses,

Leaving us dazed and almost defenceless;

But still the light shone like a star and told us to hold on,

Guiding our hearts and shaken souls until the storm was gone.

There is a light that never goes out,

A whispered word, an angry shout,

It sees off every lingering doubt,

Then shows us what life is about,

A sacred light, a light that never goes out.

We stopped to gather the broken words,

We filled our bags with capital letters,

The fields were rife with abandoned herds,

Stifled poets choked by their fetters;

The day was dark, the paths unmarked,

Black ravens sang where no dogs barked,

The floods subsided, ideas flourished,

The starving crowds were hastily nourished,

The stories grew and spilled deep secrets,

Leaving us to haul in the abandoned nets;

But still the light filled every page and told us to read on,

Dictating rhyme and reason in verse to form the final swan song.

There is a light that never goes out,

A whispered word, an angry shout,

It sees off every lingering doubt,

Then shows us what life is about,

A sacred light, a light that never goes out.

We stopped to murmur a silent prayer,

We knelt beside a babbling brook,

The hills formed barriers, always there,

Obliging the weary to a second look;

The webs were spun, the dreams were caught,

Tangled trees hid the old trails they sought,

All time stood still, old wounds were healed,

The fate of man and beast was then sealed,

The believers stumbled upon the impure,

Leaving us to wonder and then reassure;

But still the light shed friendly tears and told us to pray on,

Breaking form and fences to allow the doubters to stay on.

There is a light that never goes out,

A whispered word, an angry shout,

It sees off every lingering doubt,

Then shows us what life is about,

A sacred light, a light that never goes out.

We stopped to raise a neutral flag,

We strung our hearts to the tight-stretched cord,

The landscape spilled from an overfilled bag,

Imparting lush green over which eagles soared;

The sun felt ripe, the spell was cast,

Wild oceans paid homage to the past,

The land was split, nations were torn,

Prophets announced a new saviour was born,

The faithful swore allegiance to their dancing clown,

Leaving us to observe as the curtain came down;

Yet still the light lit up the scene and told us to stay brave,

Raising flags and bridges across the new world we hoped to save.

There is a light that never goes out,

A whispered word, an angry shout,

It sees off every lingering doubt,

Then shows us what life is about,

A sacred light, a light that never goes out.

By Peter Dietrich

From: United Kingdom