“A Poem in Honor of St Brigid” by Brigid Claire Oak

 

A Poem in Honor of St Brigid

 

Her habit is

a dancing dress,

her prayer beads, tinkling bells.

 

She settles in

the sun’s caress,

and drinks from ancient wells.

 

Her abbey is

a grove of oak,

deep in a forest glen.

 

From here the Winds

of Wisdom spoke,

from here She’ll speak again.

 

Her bread’s a hearty

cake of oat,

Her wine’s a honey meade.

 

She gives away

her shoes and coat,

the hungry she does feed.

 

Her altar is

a peasant’s heart,

draped in Love’s linen, fair.

 

The Queen of Heaven,

Prince of Peace,

and angels meet her there.

 

Her mantle is

the meadow green,

all creatures are her friends.

 

Those once forgotten,

now are seen,

their brokenness she mends.

 

Her sacred well’s

a lake of ale,

with roses all around.

 

Her faith, a currach

setting sail,

her soul is Holy Ground.

 

Her crozier is

a wand of light,

her mitre; made of fire.

 

The Shepherdess of good

and right,

compassion and desire.

 

Her smile’s a message

of God’s care,

and Love that knows no end.

 

Dear Anamchara of Kildare,

Saint, Abbess,

and Soul-Friend.

 

 

 

 

Image: "The Lagan Meadows in all their summer glory" (July 2009) by K. Mitch Hodge. (Lagan Meadow, Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K.) 

Note: This poem was posted by Paul Neeley on Godspace blog: “A Prayer and a Poem in the Spirit of St Brigid” on July 28, 2016. He wrote:

‘Here’s a poem in honor of St. Brigid written by ‘Brigid Claire Oak’ which I found through the Facebook group ‘Celtic Christian Tradition.’ She has given permission to share it here: She notes, “The words came with a little melody and I do sing it, but it is not set to music in an official sense.”’

 I have tried to track down the author of the post and the author of the poem, to no avail. I post them here in the hope that anyone who sees it who knows her may let me know and I can pursue permission retrospectively. Although most of the readers of Stone on the Belly are Pagan, I like to post Christian prayers and poems now and then to show another side of her cult. This one has some particularly lovely bits I wanted to share with you.