Bob Steyn: In Memoriam

like a burst of light

you came into my dark night of confusion

like a cool fount of crystal water

in a desert of dogma left behind

 

as you named and blessed my kin

the wisdom of your words anointed me too

the veil was rent

the scattered puzzle begun anew

the old shapes of the Church outgrown

in your wider circle I found a new home

 

as I left your sacred chapel

I knew I would return

for this was a place of love

and searching

where my flaming quest could burn

 

in time, you became my teacher-friend

receiving my letters

meeting to talk at noontime

like a bowl catching the spilt water

of my ideas and conflicts

only to nourish the budding multi-coloured flowers

of my consciousness

 

but the grabbing hands outstretched

for your healing words and touch

with office pressures and ministerial duties

became too much

our scheduled space ended

it was time for me to fly alone

carried by the expansive wings

of the philosophy we now shared

 

my navigator's map

(a gift from you)

set a course

for we Aquarian Conspirators

a new breathing together

a shifting paradigma

now I knew

I was not alone

 

in ritual, counsel and celebration

you walked with me through the valleys

when my name symbolised my quest

my family offended and I misunderstood

when crime shattered my peace

my home my body my mind violated

 

also you scaled with me the mountain peaks

sometimes guide

always fellow seeker of new vistas

when I was welcomed into the Unitarian family

recognised among liberal thinkers

when I celebrated twenty one years of life

embracing freedom with responsibility

when two hearts became one

filling each other's cups

 

onward you continued your steadfast service

the brilliance of your sun and moon shining bright

but like a secret witness

I caught fleeting glimpses

of the flickering shadows of fatigue

which threatened to eclipse the light

yet you shone forth

burdened

yet uplifted

by a needy world

and days so finite

 

this poem is incomplete

ended too soon

like your life it would seem

but the circle is drawn

like the serpent with tail in mouth

every ending a new beginning

every death

a new life

 

 

Copyright 1997

 

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