Written for our long-awaited Carol Service which was cancelled 2 years in a row due to covid. Despite having all that time to work on it I actually finished this at 4.30pm on the day of the service! I read it as an introduction to the carol Silent Night, which we sang by candlelight with the church lights off.
When the darkening days deepen, drawing us in
When the world wears her weatherworn ice hardened skin
When the night time is near before day can begin
And we bear the bleak burden of winter
When the silent night holds us, familiar and close,
When we carefully tread through a world of shadows
When the rafters resound with angelic echos
And our hearts hold the weight of our wondering
When our focus is drawn by a flickering flame
When the edges are blurred but the centre remains
May we see through the darkness the one who is named
As the bearer, the bringer of light.
Then may we carry that brightness from those gone before
May we pass on the torch to a yet unseen dawn
As we share this light may we know once more
that Christ our saviour is born
(c) Rich Clarkson 2022
Rich Clarkson Poetry 
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