The Train Driver

"It's the last run," he said as they waited,
"The freight cars are loaded and now
The passengers are seated and ready,
And the train, it will leave on the hour."
The driver stood quiet, by the engine,
And drew out his old pocket watch.
As he turned to his dusty old fireman,
He said, "Let's get her ready to cross."

Soon the train rumbled on to the river,
And the whistle screamed its goodbye,
As the ominous clack of the wheels on the track
Sped up as the train moved away.
At each departure, there's someone,
Who knows it's the final farewell
The heart aches, the eyes swell, the tears fall too,
But there's no more words left then to tell.

So the train drew near to the river,
And the verdant green slopes gleamed with dew,
As the train neared the end of its journey,
And the river came plainly in view.
On the other side stood the station,
On a well travelled route, we may know,
And the Master stood on the platform,
As He waited for the train to show.

So the train drew up to the platform,
And the faithful train driver stepped down,
And he said as he drew out the old pocket watch,
"We did it! We're right here on time!"
But the Master, the Lord of the station,
He smiled as the driver walked on,
And He opened His arms and was heard to exclaim,
"Well done, welcome home now, Leon."

Written to celebrate the life of Leon Smith on the occasion of his death 22/2/2022 and read at his funeral by his beloved niece, Judith Barnes.

(Tune : Log Cabin for Sale)

Anak - My Child

I knew not how His promise would become so real,

But when I first held your tiny, helpless form,

My tears of joy flowed unrestrained,

Because I never could have hoped to hold again

My child.

As then I watched you grow,

From a baby to a tiny child,

I rejoiced in each amazing change, 

And as our eyes met and you learned to smile,

I knew that you were every bit

My child.

The first words that you learned to say,

You'd heard from me so many times each day,

And as your tiny lips released that sweet, clumsy response,

I heard the words, "I love you" from

My child

You call me 'Dadda' now

And stumble round me with your tiny feet,

But I trust your faltering footsteps will soon follow me,

Because I want the best for you,

My child

I wake each morning just to see your joyful face,

And hold your giggling body in my arms again,

And as each day comes to an end, I love to see asleep

Your tiny curly head and strain to hear the gentle breath of

My child

I know I'll pass too soon to see what you'll become,

But I pray each day that you will reach that place.

That God the Father holds in store for you

And that you always may be while I still hold breath -

My child.

To my Amalia (אָמַלְיָה) : because God has made me forget all my trouble and my father’s house. 15/12/21

The Child Of Promise

I don't want to lay her down to sleep,

Though I hear her gentle breathing,

I want this day to last forever,

With my baby in my arms.

I don't want to close my eyes,

And have to wait until tomorrow,

By her cradle I could kneel,

Until the light of a new day.

But another day dawns,

And the tiny arms quiver,

As she cries for the breast,

That will nourish her pain.

But as each new morn breaks,

And I quickly grow older,

I will pray I will be strong,

For the child of promise.

I had waited for so long,

As the world changed oh, so quickly, 

So the aged ones all passed on,

And little boys became strong men.

And as the seasons turned around,

We forgot that we grew older,

But our time, it grew much shorter,

And our strength turned into dust. 

But another day dawns,

I see the smile of my baby,

And she says her first words,

And she takes her first steps.

But as each new morn breaks,

Though I quickly grow older,

I will pray to be strong,

For the child of promise.

I hope I'll be able to protect her,

Raise her noble, good and true,

Most of all, that she'll know my Saviour,

For I know He'll bring her through.

Now I dream she stands before me,

A lovely daughter, fully grown,

Even though I'm aged and feeble,

I can hear her whispered words.

Yet another day dawns,

I see a woman sitting by me,

Now she says her final words,

And she holds me in her arms.

For as the new morn finally breaks,

And I will never more be older,

I will stand before Him there,

As the child of promise.

The Gate of the Day

I once stood on the threshold of the gate of the day,

The old world behind me, the new one begun,

And he took hold of my shoulders and I heard him say,

You enter this home now, you're not come to stay,

As a visitor here but as my very own son,

As my tears fell, I knew my heart had been won.

As the years past, I drifted from village to city,

As I followed my fortunes and tried hard to succeed,

But the words that were spoken at that moment of pity,

Would brighten my pathway through much enmity,

And strengthen my faith, my soul then to lead,

To a future unknown, but a path clear indeed.

My father now stands at the gate of the day,

How long he will linger, I sure cannot tell,

But as he walks onward, I constantly pray,

That the pathway be smooth all the rest of the way,

And the journey be glorious, the sunset look swell, 

For I know that his Father's door's open as well.

Matthew 25:35

Dedicated to Leon Smith 

Marks Wedding Vows

I vow to be patient, I vow to be kind.
And try not to envy, to pride be inclined,
To always be grateful that I have found you,
To overcome rudeness, and selfishness too. 

I'll be not easily angered, forgive if you're wrong,
I'll always protect you, our trust shall be strong,
I'll delight not in evil but in truth never fear,
In hard times to hope always, and so persevere.

These three I'll commit to: to faith, hope, and love,
But the greatest of these is the bond from above:
By the same love that Jesus has loved His own bride,
So I'll always love you and stay by your side.

Derived from 1 Cor. 13, played on ukulele

Under His Baton

He raised His hand to the heavens,
As the silence grew the more loud,
And each face looked so expectant,
In the orchestra and in the crowd.
As His hand approached the zenith,
Each player had taken a breath,
Every heart grew so expectant,
But each hand was still as death.

But the feeble drop of the baton,
Drew forth then a plaintiff tone,
And the song sobbed out in the night hall,
As the orchestra, it moaned.
The unresolved chord, the knife twisted,
The timbre was harsh to the ear,
Still the Master of Song never faltered,
As He taunted the anthem of fear.

But wait, still the baton, it changes,
Its tempo, its gait and its style,
And the orchestra sinks to a hush,
Like a waif that has walked her last mile.
And the tragedy deepens to longing,
That a rescuer might yet be found,
And He rises alive from the cobwebs,
To drive Death itself from the ground.

And the baton, it rises, unweary,
Each eye rises too as it flies,
But this time, it moves with a newness of life,
As it drives out the tears from the eyes.

For the Conqueror rose all-victorious,
And He beckoned the instruments play,
In one great eternal moment,
The song became joyous and gay.

The song rose exultant, majestic,
The mode changed from minor hue,
And the moments of anguish found meaning,
As the time to resolve all was due.
And the Lord of the Cue in His splendour,
Made the final decision in Time,
As the rapture of harmonious cadences closed,
With a flourish that said, "All is Mine."

24/11/2018
Written spontaneously without edit from inspiration by a fellow Christian, and former teaching colleague in Thailand.

By the Death of an Innocent

I never deserved it; it is so unfair;
Unwarranted outcome for a life of despair.
I should be condemnéd for error and sin,
My pathway was reckless and my record was thin.

I tallied the balance of my good deeds and bad,
And as I reflected it made my heart sad,
That my choices were foolish, my conscience was weak,
And the balance sheet showed that the outlook was bleak.

But one thing I trust when recounting my deeds,
A strange moment eternal, that fair justice impedes,
When a victim was murdered at Calvary,
An Innocent died for a sinner like me.

When the eternal day comes and time ceases to be,
The guilt will be covered, and all He will see,
Is what we did for the weak ones, so we did it for Him,
And the balance is settled, the lost can go in.

MJH 15/11/2015