Michael Shepherd Poems

O God - or may I call you Lord? –
I remember when I was a child,
You were my best friend, one who knew me
better than I knew myself;
...

Going deaf
is such a curse.
Yet my listening's better -
'cos my hearing is worse.
...

How great is greatness? asks my questing soul:
scenting behind that quest, eternity;
that dark which, studied, lights the dazzling whole
and brings to finite thought, infinity;
...

Orfeo shone.
He shone as music shines.

His shining, not the beauty of his radiant body;
...

'What is the purpose of poetry? [Candidates
will be awarded up to 80% of the total marks
for this paper on the answer to
this question. Write on one side of the paper only
...

I wonder if Wordsworth
noticed that if he stood
very still, aware of his body
from his toes up to his head
...

In case you were on holiday, this nice sunny weather,
(and may I say, what a great idea the Sun is?)
...

Five fingers touching
in the warmth of night;
five toes walking you
when your back feels tight;
...

The gate opens easily -
someone's oiled it quite recently.
There's fresh gravel on the path
this winter day.
...