Andrew Lansdown is a Baptist writer living in Perth, Australia, who has authored ten collections of poetry. He writes both adult and children’s poetry, has more than fifty published short stories and a trilogy of popular fantasy novels. Les Murray has called him Australia’s greatest Christian poet. The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-century Poetry in English, suggests that because of the Christian stance in Andrew Lansdown’s poetry, perhaps “his work has been neglected and undervalued.” Even so, he is the recipient of many awards, fellowships, and honours.
He is an imagist poet — preferring to share the brief glimpses of his perceptive eye, rather than longer, rambling verse. It has been suggested that the effect of his poetry is cumulative, and can be best appreciated when reading many poems, one after another. His most recent collection of adult poetry is Far From Home (2010).
Rose
The day after I cut it
I notice the white rose
in the pottery vase
on my desk start to wilt.
All day it has been
drooping lower and lower,
until now its small head
is hanging upside down,
lolling loose-haired
against the shoulder
of the vase, as if given
entirely to sorrow.
Parable
for Leroy Randall
Plant a seed, reap a song:
such are the ways of God.
Jesus said his kingdom
is like a mustard seed
which when buried rises
to a tree, and the birds
alight in its branches.
So, from a grain, a surge
of sap and shade, a haunt
of gladness and surprise.
Oh, beyond all desire,
the tree of God abounds
with nests—and a choir!
The Raven
The raven is a black and craven bird,
a bird by the Law unclean.
Its carrion cry on the wind is heard -
the raven, that black and craven bird.
Yet it is the one the Lord by His word
has sent for my keep and keen.
Oh, the raven’s a black and craven bird,
a bird by the Law unclean!
Posted with permission of the poet
Entry written by D.S. Martin. He is the award-winning author of the poetry collections Poiema (Wipf & Stock) and So The Moon Would Not Be Swallowed (Rubicon Press). They are both available at: www.dsmartin.ca
This is this a recent post from: Kingdom Poets Follow this link to see dozens more, including some of the world's most celebrated poets, as well as some lesser known treasures. Also visit www.andrewlansdown.com
Looking for a place to feel inspired and challenged? Like to share a smile or a laugh? Interested in becoming more familiar with Canadian writers who have a Christian worldview? We are writers who live in different parts of Canada, see life from a variety of perspectives, and write in a number of genres. We share the goal of wanting to entertain and inspire you to be all you can be with God's help.
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2 comments:
Don,
I very much enjoyed Lansdown's lines. Thank you for sharing his bio and delightful work.
Yes, thanks, Don. Will look this fellow up. :)Marcia
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