The last of the series of "place poems" that I contributed to our Wonderful Wander as part of the 4 Corners Festival 2020 a couple of weeks ago, in this case prompted by "Sheep on the Road" a group of life-size bronzes of six sheep and a shepherd, sculpted in 1991 by Northern Irish sculptor, Deborah Brown. This installation was originally commissioned by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland for their sculpture garden at Riddell Hall, in the leafy surrounds of Stranmillis in south Belfast. In 1999 it was purchased by Laganside Corporation, after relocation of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and it was placed in front of the entrance to the Waterfront Hall, in Lanyon Place, as if going to what once were May’s Meadows, the site of one of the city markets, where livestock were once bought and sold. Psalm 23 is an ancient song written in a completely different context than many of us now live, yet it still lives in the popular imagination of many, even if only as something read or sung at funerals. But in the light of this installation that seems at first out of context, I thought I would rework Psalm 23 to reflect this change of context.
The Lord, I am told, is my shepherd,
But I don’t need a thing.
I need no guide through what once were meadows,
Walking past a river it would not be wise to drink from,
Despite the improvements of recent years.
Google guides me along the right paths,
for Jeff Bezos’ name’s sake.
Sure, I am walking through a city
Of concrete and glass,
Not pastures and grass.
What need do I have for songs of shepherds
And their crooks?
I need no shepherd’s staff to comfort or correct me.
All around me are tables in restaurants
Where I can eat in luxury with friend or stranger.
My cup is overflowing…
Yet my head is not at peace.
But maybe it’s now not a matter
of following this good shepherd.
Maybe if I were to look around, I would find
That in his goodness and grace, his mercy and love,
The shepherd is following me,
Ushering me home.
Selah
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