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Peter Walker

Vicar has poetry book published


A Vicar who joined the Diocese of St Asaph 18 months ago is bringing out a book of poems based on his spiritual experiences in north Wales.

Revd Peter Walker is a Team Vicar in the Rhos-Cystennin Rectorial Benefice and has been writing poetry since his teenage years.

“Penmon Point” is a collection of his work over the last ten years, although most poems have been written since he started work in the Diocese.

He said:

“A lot of the poems are a response to who I am. Others are to do with the job of being a Priest – particularly with reflections on funerals and musings on the meaning of life.

“There are also a lot of poems to do with Welsh Spirituality and the Celtic roots of Christianity.”

Peter’s collection of work also includes four of the Psalms written as sonnets.
His book has been published by Welsh publishers Y Lolfa.

Peter added:

“As a teenager you tend to keep things like this to yourself, but I started wondering if a wider audience would appreciate them.

“My favourite poem in this work is ‘Like a Poem by RS Thomas’. I am working on a new collection and I hope they might be published in 2012.”

Here's one of Peter's Poems, called "Transfiguration".

‘shall we make three booths?’

a horny hand stops us
mid-gather
sun-leathered hands agrasp
with reed & leaf & clump of grass

this was no miracle
just a touch of sun
that haloes heads
& screws the eyes up tight
that leads to visions
& fires the mind
with wild imaginings
of a revolutionary kind

just wait …

as bare-bone winter trees
retain the seed of life
so tombs a-rustle
with a ‘yet I am’

the true transfiguration
does not stand
on mountaintops & shout
but
is a quiet stirring
& a moved stone
an empty chrysalis
in a pale-blue Easter morn

You can buy Peter’s poetry book “Penmon Point” from Y Lolfa or the Welsh Books Council.

Send your news of events - forthcoming and recently enjoyed - to the Diocesan Communications Officer, Phil Topham. The news pages of the website include Bishop Gregory's mailing to clergy, a Calendar of forthcoming events, news of activities around the Diocese and a link to the Diocesan newsletter, Teulu Asaph. Use the column on the right to navigate around these pages.

 

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