Critic Cal

The  Feast of the Presentation  (also known as 'Candlemas') is celebrated on the 2nd February by some churches, on the Sunday between the 28th January and the 3rd February by some others, and not at all by churches which (like mine) uphold a steady tradition of eschewing tradition. It marks the occasion when, 40 days after Jesus' birth, Mary and Joseph take him to Jerusalem to present him in the Temple in accordance with the Torah. It is here that Simeon, a man 'waiting for the consolation of Israel', meets the infant Jesus and recognises in him the outworking of God's promises. Here is a sonnet I made about that encounter. Because (as Christmas celebrations sometimes seem especially designed to obscure) the Incarnation isn't " nice ", it's awesome ... THE SACRIFICE IN THE TEMPLE   I saw the preparation of my death And life, lie crying, cradled in the arms Of maiden motherhood. I heard alarms And consolations with each wailing bre

There was a time before YouTube – remember? – when people relied on the television for humorous video snippets. And if you wanted to watch one again (and again and again and again) you'd better hope that somebody had set the VCR. Well, my family were utterly entranced by a dog called Domino that said "I want one". He starred in a 1988 episode of the BBC's 'That's Life' and my dad has been doing impressions of him ever since. (In fact, I'm pretty sure we  didn't  catch it on tape – which means we probably only saw the actual footage once; it was dad we had on repeat). Unsurprisingly, by now   it can  be found on  YouTube , comfortably at home alongside a selection of tortuous  wannabes  – talking dogs just aren't what they once were. It's an odd experience watching it for real for the first time in all these years. Like most memories, it's evolved in the retelling; for something so embedded in our family culture it seems strangely

The story  poem of my life...          i am through with words let me make something of myself.                   i am through with words;          let me make something of myself.          i am through –          with words, let me make something          of myself.          i am:          through/with words          let me make something of myself.          i am;          through with          words let me make something of myself.          i am through with          “words let me make something of myself.”          i am – through  with  words –          let me make            something of myself.          i am          through with words let me make something of          myself.          i am          through with words let me make          something          of myself .          i am          through with          words           let me make something of myself .          i am through with words          let me