Above me, the heavens with moon and sun,
Below me, the earth firm and strong,
Behind me, an angel to guard me and guide,
Before me, the goal to which I stride,
Beside me, my loved ones, and all around
Fire and water and air abound.

Above, below; near and wide;
Behind, before, and either side :
The encompassing world lies far and nigh,
And in the centre, here stand I.

Paul King

Crystal, jewel, rock or stone,
In me is sinew, flesh and bone.
The plant unfolding stem and leaf,
In me is growth and pulsing life.
The sentient beast that roves the plain
In me is shades of joy and pain.
The sun that gives its loving light,
In me is thinking’s radiance bright

Beast and plant, earth and sun -
All the world in me is One.

Paul King     

Rain, fall!
Water, flow!
Bring new life
That the plant may grow.
Soften the earth
That the root grow deep;
Moisten the air
That stem and leaf
Unfurl and unfold
In the shimmering light
And bring forth the flower
For our delight.

Paul King

In the waters of a pool,
Deep and green, dim and cool,
Unperturbed by swirl or swish,
Hangs a dreaming silver fish.
Thrice a-dream in waters deep,
Wrapped in fast aquatic sleep.

Then with a flip and a flash and a flay
Swift as the lightning it flickers away.

Paul King

Earth beneath my feet,
Thee my step doth greet.
Through the light of days
I walk upon thy ways,
Straight or curved or steep
In places high or deep.

Wisdom guide my soul,
Lead me to life’s goal;
Firmness bear me on
Till my path be done.

Earth beneath my feet,
Thee I gently greet.

Paul King 

The word of a king can slay or spare,
The word of a clown can gladden.
The word of a friend can comfort and share,
The word of a foe can sadden.
The word of God creates a world
Of firmament, land and sea;
The word of my mouth
Shapes my life,
And so creates me.

Paul King

The master paints a picture
And its greatness shineth forth;
The journeyman travels to broaden his skill
By many a winding path;
The apprentice must practise and practise
And practise undaunted still more -
But first he takes a simple broom
And sweeps the master’s floor.

Paul King

The tool unused lies lost in dust,
The sword unused turns dull with rust,
The path unused grows clogged with weed,
The crop untended goes to seed.
Skills unused will soon decay,
Talents wasted, fade away.

I will work with a wish and I’ll work with a will,
And the task that life brings me I’ll gladly fulfil,
And unfolding new skills, many joys shall be mine.
Away dull rust! Let me shine!

Paul King

The sails are full, the anchor hauled,
The rolling keel o’erleaps the swell,
The wheeling gulls above me call,
And wind and wave betoken well.

Storm or calm
Near or far,
Undeterred I’ll follow my star.

Paul King

I waken to the morning light,
I waken to the hills and seas,
I waken to the birds and beasts,
I waken to the plants and trees;
And the world of people round me moves,
Family, teachers, friends and more -
The world awaits me every morn
To know, to cherish and explore.

In the world I will seek
For the good and the true
By the thought that I think
And the deeds that I do.

Paul King

The Water Cycle

Water hard as iron,
Water flowing free,
Water floating light as air,
Water one in three.

Vapour rising skyward,
Falls to earth as rain,
Flows in river, stream and sea
To rise as cloud again.

Lifting skyward, falling earthward,
Ever on the move,
Thus the cycle of all life
Comes and goes on earth.

Paul King

The rocks are hard
And we stumble.
The rocks are sharp
And we bleed.
The rocks are heavy, jagged and dense,
Crushing and dark indeed.

But the rocks bear the weight of the world,
They bear up our steps with might;
And deep within, like stars on earth,
Their jewels glisten bright.

Paul King

Gliding swiftly across the frozen
Lake she skates with grace,
Circling, twirling, curving in arcs,
The figures in ice to trace.

A hundred falls have come before,
A hundred bumps and shocks,
But up she got and tried again,
Disdainful of the knocks.

Now she glides across the ice,
Master of grace and skill.
The prize is hers,
A just reward
For the heart that says, I will!

Paul King

Kingdoms of nature below me,
Kingdoms of angels above.
Between the two, here stand I,
Uniting these worlds with love.

Paul King

Deep in the night is darkness,
With my soul in slumber deep.
Moonlight dreams on the waters,
Moonlit dreams in my sleep.

High in the star-filled firmament
The song of the spheres is heard,
Giving me strength for the morrow,
In thought and deed and word.

Now light of the sun is dawning,
And light of my mind as I wake:
Alive in the world,
At home on the earth,
My path through life to take.

Paul King

A pebble dropped in a lake
Sends ripples gliding to shore.
The world is changed for ever;
Does the ripple glide ever more?

A word of kindness spoken
Sends warmth where was pain before.
The world is changed for ever:
The warmth lives on ever more.

Paul King

Stone rough and jagged
Tumbles down the hill,
Falls into a river,
Lies there calm and still.

River’s ever flowing,
Water sparkling bright,
Curving, twirling, slip and slide
In the summer light.

Years flow by like water -
Water on the move -
At last the stone, once jagged,
Is polished, round and smooth.

Paul King

A goal illumined and planned by my head,
Weighed and warmed by the love of my heart,
Becomes a deed I set in the world,
Directed, warm and good.

Paul King