Thursday 12 January 2017

Look Into My Hollowed Eyes

Day 44 (Friday 13th January 2017)

44 titles (with a further two for doubles championship wins)
demonstrate why Andy Murray is currently ranked Number 1 in the world for tennis
and was awarded a knighthood. Congratulations Sir Andrew Barron Murray, OBE.

I am not superstitious and hence have no fear of today being Friday the 13th - indeed to me it seems a great day, given the impact and importance of today's excellent post. It has been written by Keith Gulliver. After many years within a well-known technology business, and a period as an independent, Keith is now working in the Corporate HR team at West Sussex Council on Pay and Reward projects. He is based in Chichester, and walks past Chichester Cathedral every day on his way to and from work - it was in January 2016 that Keith took the photographs that illustrate his piece.

I first got to know Keith on Twitter (his handle is @KeithGulliver). He is a very sporadic blogger - you can read his words on his blog "Through the Talent Twittens". He lives in Havant in Hampshire and is an avid fan of Portsmouth Football Club (in his capacity as a fan and supporter he tweets as @PompeyChickenand he has Liberal political leanings, resulting in his tweeting  as well under @ThisLiberalAge

Given the importance of his subject in the post, I will explain write a brief further explanation at the end of the piece.


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Look Into My Hollowed Eyes

Please don't pass me by.
Look into my hollowed eyes, I will not haunt you. 
Desperate, I fled.

Please don't pass me by. 
Hold my hands, I will not harm you.
Fatigued, I trudge.



Please don't pass me by. 
Tend my bruised body, my weathered face should not scare you.
Exhausted, I stop. 

Please don't pass me by. 
Soothe my troubled mind, hear my murmurings.
Desperate, I am drawn. 



Helpless, I drown.
Look into my hollowed eyes, I will haunt you.
You passed me by.






Some Background Notes

The pictures Keith sent me and I have used are of a statue in Chichester Cathedral titled 'The Refugee', it's by Diana Brandenburger. It's described as 'haunting' and I agree with Keith that that is in part down to the hollowed eyes, and hence there's the connection to this year's theme of heights, hearts and hollows. The statue was given to the Cathedral in 2008, to tie in with the celebration of its 900th year. 

In 2016 over 5,000 people have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea trying to cross to Europe.

1 comment:

  1. I loved the poem Kate. Thanks for sharing.

    Blessings
    Julian

    ReplyDelete