Many congratulations to our very own Claire Barracliffe who won the poetry competition at the recent Methodist Festival of talents.

Here it is in full for your pleasure.

By the Waters

She gave me a single, silver leaf,

From the branch of the willow tree;

As it bowed down to touch the pool

Of the tears that were both her and me.

She smiled as I gave her my blessing;

She sang as I looked on her heart;

She danced on the bank by the willow tree

And wept when she knew we must part.

But I can go back to the willow tree;

To the place where I found that lost child;

I can speak kind words and reclothe her

And she will not be betrayed or beguiled.

Her rags are no longer her garment,

She has something more fitting to wear

And the shame and the grief that subsumed her

Are held in the love and the care

Of another, who offers her blessing,

Another, who knows we must part,

Another who weeps as I weep by that tree,

Another, both child and apart.

So I will go down to the willow tree,

Where the branches dip guileless to see;

I’ll bear my silver leaf in my hair,

As it drops gold in the pool by that tree

© Claire Barracliffe

Congratulations Claire.

The new church website has a mobile app that goes along with it.

If you download it and connect to St Johns you will be notified when a new article is posted.

Interested? Download links below

Once you download and open the app for the first time just enter st johns, it should find St Johns the Evangelist (there is only one St Johns on the list), click next to it and the app will load.