Psalm 23

A Reflective Poem

‘You prepare a table before me

In the presence of my enemies’

I see an oasis in a far off desert

A pavilion tent with scattered rugs

Air rich with the scent of incense

Bowls of jewelled pomegranates

Hanging candelabras bring illumination

I hear the tinkling of bells

As a flock of sheep wander past

A long banquet buffet stretches out

Chairs drawn up either side

You invite me to take a seat

Who else is invited? Not one single enemy

Yet they are all here like silent spectres

My mind has been a battlefield always in conflict

Here is where the enemy has resided

You stretch out your hand in grace

That once caught Peter from sinking

On a stormy Lake and gently

Touch my head and at once

I am stilled

After notes

I felt led to write the word Pavilion and when I looked up the meaning, past the obvious cricket one, it was in the Psalms to describe God as a hiding place or a shelter. The word is derived from the Latin papilla butterfly for a tent, covering or canopy to suggest an image of being shielded.

Again I felt prompted with the word pomegranate which in the bible symbolise fruitfulness and blessing. They can also represent the promised land.