Blog #131: St Francis in the Summer

August 31, 2023
Philip Reading

*
St Francis came from Assisi.
He said: pleasing God’s very easy.
Be friends with all creatures,
Preserve the Earth’s features
And you will be inwardly free – see?

In England the summer is cool,
In France the heat’s truly awful. [to be read with a French accent]
It is scary and strange
How profound climate change
Is quickly becoming the rule.

In summer it’s nice to go boating
And gaze at the clouds while you’re floating.
But you’ll get the shivers
From seeing the rivers’
Pollution – it’s truly revolting. [to be read with a posh English accent].

This limerick is the last of this summer's LivingLightInSummertime poetry initiative - during which, on invitation of the Living Light Blog, community members shared summer-related reflections on God's creation or on efforts in creation-keeping, usually in the form of Haikus. While Haikus often bring a certain sense of mystery, limericks - like this week's composition by Philip - come with a jaunty meter and more far-fetched rhymes, automatically falling into a light-hearted tone that nicely fits the end of the summer. The mention of St. Francis is also very fitting as Christ Church begins celebrating the Season of Creation: Between September 1, the Global Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, to 4 October, St Francis of Assisi Day, Anglicans and many other Christian denominations pray and celebrate creation, focus on the story of Earth and commit to a ministry of healing Earth.

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