Chime

Freeverse

We love those church bells,
do we not? Such chimes, such rings!
Are you a churchy type?
Or, like me, are you not?

Those bells we hear here
do have a rather angelic sound
(though, as we know, there are no angels).
But what a voice they have, those bells.

You don't do church, then -
like me and so many others?
But almost supersonic, those rings -
chimes that are quite a joy.

And they do bring to us
a historical flavour.
It enters our ears and hearts,
enters our ears and minds.

You have no religion, then -
that old-fashioned, out-of-date stuff?
Yet those bells send a sweet tang, zing,
almost a poignancy - sometimes sorrow, often happiness.

Ah, yes, we stand at that west end,
absorb those bells, that zing, that flavour.
We almost drink them, wear them -
yes, cherish and wear those rings.


(Dec 2022)

Reviews

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

They do ring loud and hopeful. I'm agnostic but in my youth I was catholic. As a matter of fact I was an alter boy and considered for a time becoming a priest. But I grew out of these beliefs that were more my mom's than myself. Inherent faith passed from generation to generation. I remember as a child every Sunday morning I could hear the church bells echo from one end of town to the other. A joyous noise that cried hope. Thank you Andrew for sharing your poem with us.

[Chris Shaw]

Really nice poem Andrew and reflects my own views. I don’t do church services anymore, but I admire architecture, bells, candles and the sense of peace those buildings give. I have struggled with all religion for years now. Causes nothing but division.

Chris

[Andrew John]

Yes, lots of division, but still plenty of interest. We needed religion way back; now we don't, but see history. I had a poem published in a book I happened to edit with a partner, just 2 lines: "A world once served by gods and heroes / Now gets by with ones and zeros."