It is the sign of the times

when the church on St. Andrews Road

displays not an encouraging word

on a billboard half hidden

by an instrument of Cosmic law,

the half blinding Sun and bedded down roots

of trees, seeking salvation in the quiet Earth,

but a for sale sign, proclaiming the new words

of profits…when a Church closes down,

even for heathens and dissenting voices

such as my own,

I feel the pain for the lost and lonely,

for now where do they go to sit

in contemplation when the pubs

are too expensive and

the television offers nothing but simplistic escape.

Ian D. Hall 2016