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'My Song of God' by Ewan Thomas Holt, Age 11

I think God is a regular person

who is anything

and everything

and nothing

at the same time.

 

I think 'heaven' is a thing

a place and an idea.

There is no proof.

You can't touch it

see it or hear it.

But dead things may find life again

in a separate world.

 

I like amazing things:

giant waterfalls and volcanoes

tiny red spiders and seeds

and my family.

 

Most of all

I think

when you talk to God

and you listen

to the things you need to hear

it is really yourself

telling you what to do

to make things better.

 

Ewan Thomas Holt

Age 11

 

🌷(7)

◄ The Argument

In Praise of Books of Poetry ►

Comments

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Cynthia Buell Thomas

Wed 7th Feb 2018 11:10

Thank you all for such warm comments. My own heart nearly cracked with love and amazement realizing both the scope and the depth of his thought at eleven years old. It was the last verse that really 'got me', an exact summation of all metaphysical thinking. And he said, 'You look funny.' Not too surprising; I felt 'funny' to the core of my being.

I'm really glad I decided to share, with his permission, of course. The poem was posted on the classroom bulletin board.

And the old folks pass the chalice to the young, always with hope for greater understanding and finer achievements in 'world peace'. Not a phrase to be sneered at.

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Stu Buck

Tue 6th Feb 2018 19:50

totally lovely and a beautiful piece of writing

<Deleted User> (13762)

Tue 6th Feb 2018 08:40

the cleverness of this lovely poem is in the fact that believers and non-believers alike can relate to much of it. God described as 'a regular person' in the opening line projects an image of equality that sets the tone for the rest of the poem. And wouldn't a God of equality be appropriate for this moment in history? And who could resist the prospect of finding life again in some indefinable 'heaven'? The third verse shows a respect for family and the world around us and the duality of the last verse provides the perfect summation of his thought process - non-believers are free to have faith in themselves whilst believers live with God within them. For an eleven year old to condense down into a few simple lines two millennia of religious doctrine and make it highly relatable is quite an achievement and one the various churches should take some heed of imo. Thanks for posting Cynthia and well done Ewan. Colin.

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Chris Hubbard

Tue 6th Feb 2018 03:24

G'day Cynthia,

This is so uplifting for me - it reminds me of myself at Ewan's age; looking, noticing, challenging, thinking.

I should have expressed in verse, as he does here, the sheer wonder and mystery of this world.

I bet he gets hooked on poetry for life. What a prospect!

Chris

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Martin Elder

Sun 4th Feb 2018 19:14

There is obviously a great deal of thought gone into this poem which puts to shame some adults let a lone an eleven year old. Its really heartening to know that he is thinking about such ideas and processing them.
Lovely poem Cynthia

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keith jeffries

Sun 4th Feb 2018 13:07

Hello Cynthia,

out of the mouths of babes and sucklings............ I remember teaching a confirmation class to children and asked them if they could name something they could not see. A little girl replied, ¨the wind ¨.Seeing is not believing. Thank you for this as it speaks volumes to today´s world.
Keith

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Cynthia Buell Thomas

Sun 4th Feb 2018 12:17

Am I proud? Oh, yes! It was a class assignment from Religious Studies, and he was despairing about writing a 'song', never mind the content. I reminded him that a poem is a 'song' too. And he was off! He dictated and I transcribed. Every word is his, exactly as he spoke it, falling naturally into format. His amazement was a joy.

Multiple religions for age 11 must be difficult to handle, by teacher or pupil. So much to try to understand.

Both of my grandsons are writing. Marley, 24, has read at Sale, Manchester. Am I proud? Oh, yes!

These boys are thinking. Poets are thinkers.

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