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Steve Page Aug 2017
("Art is never finished, only abandoned" - quote attributed to Leonardo da Vinci.)

I'm not finished yet!
I'm nowhere near complete
You know I'm not yet done
You know I'm not replete

So now's the perfect time
To pause and let me go
Time to pack away
Take that towel and throw

Put me in the drawer
Stand up and walk away
Go and fill the kettle
Or try that new cafe

Come back some time later
Then look at me afresh
Maybe ask your closest friend
To suggest some more or less

Once you've looked at me again
You may be surprised to find
You're not quite satisfied
And can't get peace of mind

I'm art, I'm not a race
There is no finish line
So please don't over-work me
I'm unfinished by design
Dylan Thomas said he was tempted to rework his poems years after they were published. Lesson learned.
Steve Page Sep 2021
I need a freedom from cynicism
from male chauvinism
embracing a softer masculine
an absence of sexism
and an embrace of a different manly-ism
one seen through a more unmanly prism
a less than bearing the whole weight of the family
and more like living as a 'we' community
not necessarily a man that's handy
but one who is able to more gently
lead by an example that's differently
fully
compassionately,
unmanfully
me.
A different way.
Steve Page Apr 2020
and God is just as God-like,
(what I mean is, just as heavenly-fatherly)
in a pandemic.
Though you do tend to hear Him through a different filter –
and not one of His making.

A filter of a thicker thread.

And, whilst you do need to listen more carefully
(and take more time I find),
He speaks and listens just as intently
and it is unmistakably His voice.

However, I find that I throw more at Him
at times such as this.
Prayer life is different now
Steve Page Jan 2020
I write for the unreliable reader, the one who reads what they want, whether they want and how they want
- not reliably reading though my eyes and carefully abiding with my well placed breaks in line, my enjambments, separation of themes into stanzas or even a subtle semicolon.

I write for you and entrust to you
my heartache, my headaches
my angst, my joy
my mess ups, my bust ups
my skewed views, my hard pews
my shouts, my sullen frowns
my walks, my sleep
my songs, my guffaws
my control, my dance
my destruction, my elevation
my blame, my late claims
my relish, my shame
my togetherness, my brokenness
my sleep-kicks, my daybreak
my jealousy, my generosity
my rewinds, my reruns
my hospital runs, my mother's hands
my triggers, my pretence
my pride, my bullies
my children, my memories
my past, my now
my decisions, my abdications
my loss, my child
my teen, my adult
my space, my confinement
my health, my ailment
my green, my red
my therapy, my surgery
my war, my peace
my time, my eternity
my kindness, my hate
my tea, my cider
my queuing, my waiting
my coming, my leaving
my life, my death
my ever after
- these are yours.
Just turn the page
having to let go and trust the reader.
Steve Page Aug 2021
Past and Future stabled together – both present, tethered, and unstable.

Kindred ghosts pushed-pulled by a hopeful anxiety,
agitated by the yet unknown morning, eager to be

free.  And once freed, breaking fast, bolt-bursting, in competition
– in unison,

leaving Present to peer from the darkness
– who will win after all?
past, present and future are uncomfortable stable-mates
Steve Page Jun 2020
Just cos you’re smarter don’t mean you’re better
Just cos you’re slimmer don’t mean you’re fitter
Just cos you’re taller don’t mean you’re stronger
And just cos you’re whiter don’t mean you’re right-er

God made us different to make a clear point
just take a look and a moment to think
It takes this diversity to reflect a great God
He glories in difference and angels applaud

when we reach across cracks made by our fear
when we stand against hatred and act when we hear
any suggestion of bias, a smidgen of bigotry
any ill-conceived comment that denies someone’s dignity

God made us each different, cos different ain’t boring
gender or pigment, brainy or brawny
God’s image is found in all colours and sizes
so please do your part to bridge what divides us

My last word must go to the average white male:
acknowledge the privilege our lives entail
no need to apologise, no need to feel shame
just walk with humility and please -
up your game
I'm an ex-copper here in London.  I saw (and see) plenty of evidence of authority being abused, or privilege going unacknowledged. I'm an average white male.  I'm privileged.  That don't mean I'm better, but it does mean I have greater responsibility to speak up.
Steve Page Oct 2022
As we share our meal,
as we laugh without care,
I like to think that they are secretly -
against their better judgement perhaps,
and despite their best attempts
to resist their inner urges -
that they are secretly,
at an almost primeval level,
repulsed by me.

But they'd never admit it
as they smile across the table
and say yes to desert.
A riff off phrases in a radio discussion
Steve Page Sep 2016
I'm trying to focus
On subtle ****** propriety,
While having to resist
Challenges to paternity,
Questioning my certainty,
Seeding suggestions of ****** flaccidity.
And all I want
   is to *** with credibility.
-
Five 7s are 35
Six 7s are 42
Seven 7s are 49
Eight 7s are.....
(Contented sigh)
Why do service areas post such unsettling adverts  about ****** disfunction and paternity tests above the urinals?
Steve Page Dec 2018
More than one previous careful
Much more than moderate use
Less than unreasonably hoped for
Subjected to excessive abuse

Above your typical mileage
Much rusted under the sills
Worn patches in the fabric
Stains from occasional spills

Go faster stripes have been added
The rear windows now have a tint
Extra headlights recently fitted
A perfect first car, don't you think?
Memories of searching for my first car. A Vauxhall Chevette.  Painted 3 shades of bronze.
Steve Page Dec 2022
... that is not important.

You’ve spent your time
– so much of our time -
on something that is not important.
And what’s more, you already knew that.
And still you went on
in the hope that it might redeem itself.

We both know what’s important
and what’s not.
We know what is worth our time,
our attention, our tears,
our sleepless nights.
We know what is worth our pain
and what is not.

And yet,
you have near exhausted your time
and, by extension, our time
on something that will never reimburse us.
Something that has cheapened you – us -
and has reduced us to this.

I need to know -
will you fight for something that is important?
And are we important to you?
Relationships  are tough
Steve Page Jan 28
I laugh at the young light
and gift colour full rein
cover the ground at speed
flex the holy spectrum
into deep infernal textures
boldly release hinted hues
hidden to the casual eye
stroke my rivals into life
created at the break of day
capture unnatural advantage
in this leg of the human race
to reach God's rest
at the creation's edge
Prompted by Van Gogh's mastery over colour.
Steve Page Jun 2020
The veg of the Spirit is
a bended knee in the morning,
a prayer while fasting,
and a habit of listening
to God’s voice in the evening.

The meat of the Spirit is
open hearted giving,
open handed serving,
open armed hugging
and being open to weeping.

But the fruit of the Spirit is
Love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness
and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Steve Page Jul 2016
All those distant dying stars,
all his aging battle scars;
their blemished pasts still with him,
slowly, bitterly, fading,
and each discharging one persistent question:
'Any regrets?'
Steve Page Dec 2016
Behind the lacerated curtain
Assembled in triumph
We gorge on holy manna
Left by those who went before,
Behind the fire and the cloud.

We know one another
By the stone, pure and white,
More precious than any discarded crowns.
And we laugh loud with full mouths
At the names scribed by our Father,
While the angels just shake their heads and smile.
Rich Smith preached; I was inspired.  
Revelation 2:17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
Steve Page Sep 2017
(We're being held here to regulate the service.)
A captive audience,
I soaked in the silent stories
framed beyond the glass -
a snap shot of slow life
at apparent ease with itself.
(We apologise for any inconvenience caused.)
Where am I?
Inspired by a painting by Debra Collis by the same name.
Steve Page Sep 2023
I wait and wait
and wait for the turn of the brine tide
and bored, I turn and wait no more.
I walk back home,
with a wooden fork
and open vinegared chips.
Prompted by fish and chips, Sheerness , Kent.
Steve Page May 10
Swig the morning dew
Join song amongst the blackbirds
This is vintage spring
Steve Page Mar 2020
Warmer or colder - that don't matter
Get your hands wet with clean running water

Now apply soap - liquid or tablet
Lather it up, both the front and the back

Between all the fingers, don't forget thumbs
Under the nails, there there be bugs

Carry on scrubbing, at least 20 seconds
Sing happy birthday, twice for good measure

Now for the rinse, with clean, running water
And once you have dried, you're a true virus fighter.
Cant avoid the posters in public toilets. We can all do this at least.
Steve Page Aug 2021
Layer by layer
the wailing wall
still weeps
leaks life
still happy
to receive
prayers to gods
who no longer reside
no longer invest
in their attempt
to subdue
a fierce people.
                  And the river offers up her long laughter below.
Prompted by a rock wall at Colden Clough, Lumb Bank, nr Heptonstall, West Yorkshire,  UK, former residence of Ted Hughes.
Steve Page Sep 2018
Waiting
will always be for me the most effective
(albeit the most frustrating)
of all the means of time travel.
You won't find me in those new fangled machines.
(You don't know when you'll end up.)
Just leave me be.
I'll wait now and see you later.
A twist on my grandmother's distrust of escalators. She preferred the stairs. "You won't get me on there, no thank you. I'll walk."
Steve Page Sep 2018
I drive to the early coffee shop
and order my decaf tea
I don't drink caffeine you see
as my body is a temple
and needs its insides
kept pristine

my cup bears my name with pride
and I slide to the side bar
just a drop of milk
not too much
and skimmed
of course
then stir my conscience
and avoid the cake
I take my takeaway
to my MPV
which has plenty of room
just for me

I start up the engine
to enjoy the air conditioning
sit and start up my thinking
til I'm a venti ready to drive away
more awake and ready
to start a fresh new day

there's barely a hint
of my early bleary eyed squint
and I sing
blissfully oblivious
of my oversized
first world
footprint
We have to change our priorities.
Steve Page May 2020
I met a man walking backwards,
head to toe in high viz.
He was happy to ask for directions
and overtook the crowd with ease.

I met a man walking backwards,
telling me what was to come.
'Keep both eyes on the past,' he said,
'for the future is just re-runs.'
My daughter told me of a local man who walks everywhere backwards.  When she told me that hed asked for directions I just cracked up.  I haven't laughed that much in a while.
Steve Page Mar 2024
Your warm armour enfolds me, equips me for loving battle.

Your warm sword stabs the cold, severs frostbite's grip.

Your warm shield shelters me,
shoulders the weight of attack.

Your warm tears flow artery deep, steel me for winter battle.

You're my warm core,
warm to my touch.

You're my warmth.
It started with warm armour.
Steve Page Jul 2020
Out into the weather
out into the heat and the cold
the rain and the humility
the sleet and the unrelenting sun

Out into the weather
wondering when seasons will stop
running into one another with no respect
for long established patterns
and giving no latitude to longitude

Out into the weather
checking the signs
wondering what today will bring us
and so putting on our shades
and packing our umbrella
This is living in Britain.
Steve Page Jul 2016
No climate
No seasons
No expectations
No turn or tide
Just what the weather decides
To bring to my garden.
Get used to the change -
This is Kent, the Garden of England.
Steve Page May 2021
Waiting for rain that may never come
Watching the sky for foretold clouds
Planning my day around speculation
Finding I've wasted 7 hours.
Steve Page May 2018
My wedding bands,
my three gold,
three strand
wedding bands
don't fit any more.

They remain unmoving
with no room for turning.
They don't hurt, they're just tight,
because they haven't grown with me
as they might have,
could have,
should have,
would have done
had I paid more attention
to the coming undone.

They remain,
but they don't fit anymore.
My three gold, three strand,
stuck-in-the-80s wedding bands
don't fit me anymore.
My mum asked 'doesn't that hurt?' as she held my hand and felt my ring finger.  More than I can say, I didn't answer.
Steve Page Sep 2017
As sure as Sunday
As mean as Monday
As true as Tuesday
And Wednesday goes by
As dark as Thursday
As bright as Friday
As soft as a Saturday morning sigh
As sure as Sunday and the rest follows.
Steve Page May 2021
The welcome of the purple people pulled me in and provided a lift of a smile and the relief of a reception that kept me coming for more until I met the purple King for myself and accepted His eternal purple welcome.
My church has an awesome welcome.
Steve Page Jul 2017
The Son of Man came
To transcend convention
To translate divine love
Into cross border action
Spanning the gulf
Between God and creation
He reached out and touched
With a purity contagion.

He now offers living, flowing hydration
That slakes lifetime thirst with briming  compassion
Not a one time spurt, but a hurt healing transformation
So don't waste time on perpetual  dissatisfaction.

Come meet the Messiah
Who shouldered rejection
And you'll meet the God-man
With His bucket of salvation.
Full story in gospel of John Chapter 4.
Steve Page May 2019
We're all sound artists now.
Walking through our chosen concert halls, with or without walls, listening through public spaces, in personal places, curating our own shapes of combinations, constructions, concoctions of sounds and visions, an unwitting contribution to the contemporary audio visual world of sonic art installations.
We're all artists now.
And we're in charge.
Walking through London listening to my playlist.
Steve Page Feb 2023
They say that in London
you're never more than 10 foot
from a rat
and a stone's throw
from a poet.
The space in between is taken up
by stalking survey takers.

The crooked streets
that were once paved with gold
are now peppered
with monochrome gum,
half finished poems
and generous cigarette butts.

But out in the painted parks,
within the chorus of churches
or secured in our community halls -  
that's where you can still hear us sing.
City observations
Steve Page Jun 2023
No need to thank me.
I mean, what are bullies for?

If not to force you
to face the unpalatable.
To confront you
with the cruelest kindness.

To unrelent with unfair truth
leaving you no choice,
but to fight for your life
and strengthen your defence.

What are best bullies for?
But to boost the beast
for when he's needed.

No need to thank me.
You'd do the same for me.
You need tough friends sometimes.
Steve Page Mar 30
Sometimes,
and sometimes, just as I try
to doze on a sofa,
when I have nothing demanding to do
and I have time when I can
while away some time alone -

Sometimes like that,
I find my mind wandering,
I find myself wondering

"What if?"

I examine the sliding doors
The life choices
The milestones
that mark past crossroads.

And I story-tell, I dream-walk
I wander down roads not travelled.

And from that sofa
I wonder if I might now just about see
the next significant junction
on my horizon.

And in that wonder moment,
I promise the Makers of my turnings
that, this time, I'll be more adventurous
I'll trust Them more.
I'll take the road that carries
a little more risk, a little less certainty.

I pledge to not roadmap my journey,
at least not quite as much
as I typically do.
And I will entrust the future
into the more capable hands of those
who have no need for What ifs.  

I can trust the Makers, for
they know what lies ahead.
They have been there
and they can each see way more
than I can
from my sofa.
Steve Page Apr 2024
Beauty matters
and matters more
amongst the monstrous.

Remember that the monstrous
will always be with us
and so will beauty, just so long
as you continue to see it
and, seeing it, you recreate it
carefully, beautifully,
because you know it matters.
Steve Page Aug 2019
The journey,
The torque,
The chase,
The lap-time,
The playlist,
The company,
The view,
The joy,
The purpose,

not the destination,
matters....

- with thanks to T S Elliott
Okay.  I know.  The destination helps too.
Steve Page Feb 2017
"Steve" is a diamond geezer
"Stevie" can do no wrong
"Stephen" is in real trouble
But they all just want to get along

So whatever you think of him
Whenever he comes into sight
He'll give you a hug and he'll buy you a drink
And you'll be in for a heck of a night
Thank you Anton for the inspiration.
(You need to say the names in different tones when reading this:
'Steve' in a deep east end of London accent.
'Stevie' in a cutesy voice.
'Stephen' in that voice your mum used when she found you still in bed at midday.
There you go.)
Steve Page Mar 2019
The apple sits
helpless
and waits
and once its mates
have given it up as past it's best
once the rot sets in
and it starts to lose its ripeness
that's when the aroma rises
the fruit flies arrive in droves
and they feast on what's left
as the apple dreams
of pressed cider sisters
as the flies persist
in their feast
and it sits
at its core oblivious
of the fermenting opportunity missed
An image prompted by a line from Bohemian Rapsody
Steve Page Apr 2024
As a kid, was I
as accomplished a storyteller
as I remember?
Did I truly evade consequence?
As an adult, was it a little similar?

Is it just me?  
Or lately have I found more truth?
Do the stories seem to you
to be intertwined with unexpected twists?
Do they immerse you,
despite their incompleteness?
Do you find that this gives space
for imagination, for permission
for grace to flower?
Are you surprised by the colour?
Does the sweetness of the fragrance
stagger you as it does me?

Have I always been a storyteller?
A teller of stories?
And are they really unfinished?
Is there more fragrance to come?
I was reminded of the power of questions and so wrote this version of the previous poem (Story To Come).
Steve Page Apr 2017
You left.
What's up?
Did the WhatsApp offend?
Did we fail to delight?
Or is it just that you're too busy tonight?
We were chatting
Exchanging
Goofing
Emojing
But all of a sudden
It was clear you were leaving.
(Sad-face-crying)
- What'sUp?
Steve Page Mar 2024
What weight do you hold?
When will you weary from the holding?
What form will the release take?
How long will the cascade flow before it is spent?

And then, how long before
the reservoir needs release once more?
We all need an outlet for frustration and anger.  The psalms is full of it.
Steve Page Dec 2023
I'm in my grandchild's bedroom.
She's not here yet
so I get to sleep beneath
a floor to ceiling green forest
and within arms reach of shelves of fairytales
buttressed by well-read tigers,
ad I hear Sheer Khan ask me to choose
my character - the grandad I would aspire to be -
A bare necessities Baloo?
Or nearer to a prudent Bagheera?

So I ask myself,
what would Baloo do?
The nursery is just about finished, ready for grandchild #1 next month.
Steve Page Jul 6
When did we stop skipping?
When did we stop thinking that skipping was a legit option and preferred to walking or running?

When did the bounce and joy of a skip stop being the mode of choice?

And why don't we follow Millie and Trish? They could run a workshop: after service we could meet at the far end of the corridor, hold hands, and try to match their joy. But no matter how many lessons we had, I think we'd struggle to keep pace with Trish. (Though Millie would give it a good try.)

I'm still not clear why we stopped, but I think it's something to do with innocence - the loss of it. That and a failure of indifference.

I think I should start practising for the workshop; I don't want to make a fool of myself.
Inspired by Millie and Trish after church.
Steve Page Sep 2019
When fighting monsters
- watch yourself
less you become monstrous.

When fighting monsters
- watch yourself
and arm yourself with truth.

When fighting monsters
- watch yourself
and shield your deep innocence.

When fighting monsters
(and you must fight your monsters no matter the depth of the abyss)
- watch yourself
and let your whole self stand.
"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."
Friedrich Nietzsche
Steve Page Jun 2024
coats are discarded, but the hall hooks stay empty
*****-top wine is opened without ceremony
fingers are favored over tooth picks without apology
conversations touch past pain and current joys effortlessly

shared memories are shared and new ventures discoursed
loved books are returned (unread) or offered
repeated yawns are ignored, reconnection preferred
until later… and dark rain greets their departure.
a lovely evening with lovely mates
Steve Page Jun 2021
After the rain, just as the sun came,
after light years of planning and 9 months of travelling
- after the rain,
Herbie came

and landed fully formed, fully loved,
full of laughter, a master of light
a gifter of aromatic delight
- after that long night,
Herbie came.

He’d waited, biding his time,
timing his arrival beautifully
bang in the middle of the lunacy,
the happy family being built at Conolly,
(number six)
fitting right in, applying his tight grip
on the mum and dad who just don’t know when to quit.
Yes, Herbie befits this Butcher-family-mix.

After the rain
this Ray of grace,
this pilgrim,
this loving warrior from heaven
this beam of radiance came
and entered a place Herbie-shaped
in the heart of the Rob & Rachel space
with a seasoned, full of flavour Herbie taste
that will forever linger
here in the embrace of family Butcher.

Yes, after the rain, just as June flamed,
Herbie came.
Welcome Herbie Butcher.
Steve Page Jan 2023
When the Spirit's around - that's the third of the Three -
He regularly raises fresh questions for me:

You see , He's both the sought and the seeker, the truth and the teacher
the help and the helper, the gift and the giver.

He's the breath and the voice, the chooser, the choice
the anointer, the oil, the peace and turmoil.

He's the joy and the cries, always there to baptise
the bearer of fruit with fresh gifts to boot.

He's as wild as the wind, He'll breeze where He will
I've tried to contain Him, but He won't remain still.

I can't ever define Him, can't assign Him a label,
just accept He's my God and that my God is able

to be true to His Word while resisting defining
He'll still leave me questions, but that's not surprising.

He kicked off creation, gave the church her fresh start
and we're just the latest to play our small part.
Written for a Sunday service focusing on Acts 2.
Steve Page Jul 2019
When the Spirit's around
- that's the third of the Three -
He regularly raises
fresh questions for me:

The sought and the seeker
the truth and the teacher
the help and the helper
the gift and the giver?

The breath and the voice
the chooser, the choice
the anointer, the oil
the peace and turmoil?

The joy and the cries
always there to baptise
the bearer of fruit
with fresh gifts to boot?

As wild as the wind
He'll breeze where He will
I've tried to contain Him
but He won't remain still.

I won't ever define Him
or assign Him a lable
just accept He's my God
and that my God is able

to be true to His Word
while resisting defining
He'll still leave me questions
but that's not surprising.

He kicked off creation
was around from the start
and I'm just the latest
to play my small part.
For a Cafe Church event at St John Ealing on the topic of questions.
Steve Page Nov 2017
When you make
a memory
use the very best
materials available,
select the ingredients
carefully,
mix them
patiently,
take your time
and over time,
as you hone your craft,
you will make less mistakes
and create something
perfect.

When you make a memory take each opportunity as it arises, don't hesitate, but be ready to grasp each moment, each nettle, whatever's to hand and to celebrate the here and the now - don't be tempted to wait for that perfect moment,
because it's here.
The most precious memories can come slow or fast. Whatever way works for you.
Steve Page Nov 2021
When your back is backed up against the wall, that’s when
you know no one can sneak up behind you
you can focus on the frontal assault
you can defend yourself with undivided attention.

So, when you can’t back up any further
count yourself fortunate.
Brace your back heel against the foot of the wall,
raise both fists and smile.

[No, not ‘smile’.]

Set your mouth in a maniacal grin and giggle
deliriously and in that next half second
while your assailant pauses to shake their confusion
in that half second you have your chance –

Punch them in the gut!
Follow up with an upper cut
and kick
their
****.
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