ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

SONGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME.


Gentle Jesus meek and mild
Look upon a little child
Pity my simplicity
Suffer me to come to Thee.

My mother taught me to recite this song as a prayer.
She got me to kneel by the bed and close my eyes, I had to be careful
Or I would fall asleep halfway through.
I had no idea what simplicity was
Apparently it was something I had
That I should ask God to be sorry for me.

Fain I would to Thee be brought
Gracious Lord forbid it not.
In the kingdom of Thy grace
Find a little child a place.

I never found out what a fain was.
It was a bit of a worry that God might be reluctant
To accept a child, but in my case
I could understand, being a little villain.

Amen

When I watched my mother’s polished coffin being lowered
I said goodbye to a person of guileless and simple faith.
I was sure that there was a place for her
In the Kingdom of Grace.

Much more "appropriate " than the songs I was taught Neville. Shall I...
On second thoughts

G'day Sue. Thanks.

It is the simple things that remain with us and often have the most meaning-I dare say most people our age can recall this children's prayers that we said before climbing into bed, often times not fully understanding of the context but they were a comfort for those times when we felt hard done by or a little bit scared. And most of us would also I suspect very much equate that prayer with our Mums as well. Your poem melds the young boy and the old fellow in a simple but heartwarming way Neville. Nicely done.

Thanks Maureen. I tried to teach my granddaughter an old song once, it went


Tell me a story, tell me a story
Tell me a story before I go to bed.
You promised me, you said you would
You gotta give in so I'll be good
Tell me a story before I go to bed.


I haven't checked to see if she remembered.

Hi Neville

Had to smile at your childlike misunderstanding of "simplicity". Sometimes adults take for granted that kids get the point, but we spend years wondering about the meaning of things we were taught.

I often used to wonder about the oft-quoted expression "suffer the little children". Why would Jesus want children to suffer? Then I discovered that the full quotation is "suffer the little children to come unto me, and do not try to stop them." In the old English of the King James Bible, the word "suffer" meant "permit" or "allow". So he was really just saying "let the little children come to me". Nothing whatsoever to do with "suffering".

Makes sense now!

Cheers
Shelley

Delightful Neville, and certainly brings back memories of being taught this as a child. The simplicity of faith was something my mother always stressed as well. Right up to her last years she would say that rather than all the ways we humans try to complicate, analyse, debate or explain it, the only words that truly mattered to her were still, 'Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so'.

Thanks Catherine. I understand what your Mum was saying.

Also, you remind me that I reckon that simple, clear and direct is a basis for poetry with impact.

I had much the same experience at boarding school with the Nuns,
I wonder what they'd think of this old sinner now.

Terry