From These Dark Angels

Lord God of hosts deliver us
from these dark angels hovering near
ruling the precincts of our fear;

from tides we cannot see
but feel when we are afflicted unreasonably
despite all signs of progress in the West

despite the faith that we confess
invisible armies gather innumerably
and lay siegw.

you know of these by rank and each as each
we cannot see them
yet we feel

an unexpected gloom and powerless to wield
as you the right commands to sunder them in two.
let them be banished from this blue green earth

before the accomplished time
we are sick from the dearth of it all
and we are small

to fight against invisible things.
and we are Thine.
let your bright rings dapple the earth and sky

and ripple through it all
the music we first heard
from every leaf and bird

restore to us, o God we pray

in everything we think or say
the garden invincible
at first we thought we knew

would always be ours,
with You.

mary angela douglas 27 september 2019