The new Write Out Loud Poem of the Week is ‘St Matthew and the Beatles’ by Alex W. It’s a poem about the instruction in St Matthew’s Gospel in the Bible to “love thy neighbour”. In the poem he asks who are our neighbours: "Is it the ones on the TV news? / Who are being killed in wars / Or suffering natural disasters / And living in camps outdoors?" On his Write Out Loud profile page Alex says: “Life is a strange journey. I never thought that I would, never intended to write poetry but here I am. I am retired on the Manchester side of the Peak District in the UK.”

 

ST MATTHEW AND THE BEATLES 

by Alex W 

 

The Gospel of St Matthew
Chapter 22
Gives us some guidance
On what we need to do

It says to love thy neighbour
But is this enough advice?
Maybe the New Testament
Should have been more precise

Is it the family next door?
Or an aussie TV show
Is it just our Facebook friends?
Or everyone we know

Is it the ones who empty bins?
Or serve us in the shops
Or those who deliver packages
And what about the Welsh and Scots?

Is it the ones who nurse the sick?
Or care for young and old
Or those who grow the food we eat
Or just do what they're told

Is it the ones on the TV news?
Who are being killed in wars
Or suffering natural disasters
And living in camps outdoors

Now I am not religious
But the advice to me seems right
It's the thing that makes us human
It's much more than just polite

My heart is heavy often now
When I hear some neighbours say
That another of my neighbours 
Needs to go and stay away

I refer you to the other gospel
Not from heaven above
But from the alternative John and Paul
"All you need is love"