A poem to commemorate the death of Pope Francis.
He did not wear a crown or cloak of gold.
He stepped aside from glory, left the throne.
He spoke of welcome to the ones who’d failed
and washed the feet of those who’d turned away.
He loved the lost and sought the words that would
remind the powerful of their call to love.
And still, when failing on his final road,
he spoke words filled with comfort, faith and hope.
In this he mirrored in his every step
The master whom he served with gracious joy.
And then this servant, stewarding the world,
invited us to see, with clearer eyes,
the one who waits upon the dusty road.
And now runs swift to welcome home his son.
Fr Mark Skelton is a priest of the Plymouth Diocese, a poet and has always had a keen interest in the interface between Literature and Theology.
