I HAVE A PROBLEM. Romkje and I are trying to take a couple of quiet weeks before a busy season of travel and conferences ahead hits us. My problem is that quiet reading and meditation stirs up all sorts of subjects I want to write about in w e e k l y w o r d. However, to avoid extra work, I’m sending you this week another poem, this one given us by a friend we visited last week in England. We tracked it down on the web to www.leeabbey.org.uk/cometohome.html. Great for a quiet season of meditation.
Here are a few of the 26 stanzas. You can look up the rest yourself.
JUST TALK TO ME
Bill Colclough, Devon Community
Don’t be afraid if you don’t understand
Don’t fear you won’t do it right
Don’t worry about performing
Just talk to me
Don’t need no words you can’t define
Don’t need a special voice you keep reserved just for me
Don’t even have to close your eyes
Just talk to me
Don’t need to wait until you’re hopeless
Don’t need a particular reason to call
Don’t need to fake your holiness
Just talk to me
Don’t worry that you don’t love me enough
Don’t need to do anything special
Don’t pretend you’re someone or something that you’re not
Just talk to me
Don’t need some formal speech about all the social and theological issues of the day
Don’t be afraid I won’t listen
Don’t use lots of fancy phrases you heard some preacher say
Just talk to me
Don’t try to be impressive
Don’t think about your image
Don’t need to be self-conscious
Just talk to me
Don’t think it has make sense
Don’t feel the need to use complete sentences
Don’t feel the need to use words at all
Just talk to me
Don’t pretend to be happy if you are not
Don’t be overwhelmed if you feel hopeless
Don’t worry if I’ll do what you ask
Just talk to me
Don’t feel you have to take all day or all night
Don’t feel the need to be serious or sombre or stressed
Don’t even think about wearing your fancy clothes
Just talk to me
Don’t worry if you’re pleasing me
Don’t think you have to have all the answers
Don’t try to feel anything different at all
Just talk to me
Don’t worry about feeling terribly confident
Don’t try to change the world
Don’t think yourself too bad or too good to do this
Just talk to me
Don’t spend your emotional energy getting all worked up over this
Don’t think of me as a perfectionist
Don’t believe everything you hear down there
Just talk to me
Don’t keep a list or record of when we chat
Don’t need to make an appointment
Don’t stop to talk to the receptionist
Just talk to me
Don’t confuse me with your father
Don’t put that kind of pressure on him or yourself
Don’t try get away from the point of who I am
Just talk to me
Don’t forget to laugh with me
Don’t forget that I’m the one who started all this
Don’t forget I already know what you’re going to say
Just talk to me
Don’t try to impress me
Don’t try to hide anything
Don’t concern yourself about whether you’re wasting my time with trivialities
Just talk to me
Just talk to me
Just talk to me
Till next week,
Jeff Fountain
Till next week,
