Saint David's Day Poem by Martin Ward

Saint David's Day

'Do the little things'
that make a difference;
just like his small country
was the inference.

He is one of my favourites:
Saint David of Wales;
practical, no nonsense,
yet his wisdom prevails.

Perhaps the son of a sainted nun
and the king of Ceredigion,
this Bishop Saint dedicated
his life to his religion.

Pembrokeshire, captured
by Graham Sutherland
in gouache and impasto paint,
was the Welsh Saint's homeland.

In the nearby Brecon Beacons,
the miracle of a handkerchief,
which raised him up
like a hill beneath his feet:

So that the great crowd
that gathered to hear the words
that would echo through the valleys
and bring pagans to The Lord.

The tenor bell: Dewi Sant,
rings out at 2,700 pounds,
from Britain's smallest cathedral:
Saint David's voice still resounds.

Welshmen and women
wear leeks and daffodils
to venerate the Saint
and remember him still:

The Saint who is depicted
with a Dove perched on his hand;
as Patron Saint of this Principality
and most beautiful of lands.