Relationships

Poem 666 – Such As These*

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

A simple slip of tongue produced
A gem of wisdom, profound adage,
After the laughter let it sink in,
‘It takes a child to raise a village’.

It takes a child to raise a village,
A simple soul to teach the wise,
The joy of life to lift the spirits,
An open heart to make us nice.

The awestruck face that greeted me
Striped back the pretensions that I relied on,
When walking along the roadside verge,
We stopped to admire a dandelion,

Eyes wide with wonder woke the weary,
My cynicism drained away,
I saw again as I used to see,
I wish this innocence would stay.

Instantly, children come together,
From strangers quickly friendships form;
Covenants of grace are forged in fun,
And from the games new life is born.

It doesn’t matter who they are,
Their colour, creed or place of birth,
Collisions occur, but are quickly
Forgotten and replaced with mirth.

We’ve long believed the well trod lie,
That wisdom comes with age, until
Much to our surprise we found the truth,
It takes a child to raise a village.

I listened to the excellent Adjoa Andoh at Greenbelt today. A slip of the tongue inspired this poem, married to an encounter with a three year old friend on a walk over day. (*Matthew 19:14)
(23.08.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Jochen van Wylick on Unsplash

Poem 657 – A Summer Walk in Lee Valley

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

A summer’s evening walk with friends,
a stroll into the golden glow.
Beneath the leafy archways of
the reaching trees (a guard of honour?)
we stumble on Lee Valley’s secret
pathways and hidden island treasures.
The wander slows us down, affords
a chance for idle conversation,
for forging stronger bonds of friendship.
And as the night turns monochrome
we walk backwards through the years,
straying upon the wartime barges
abandoned to the encroaching reeds.
And by the time we make it home
we find our lives have been enriched.

Spent a pleasant hour and a half on a church summer social in the local countryside.
(14.08.25)

© Ben Quant 2025

Poem 656 – Character Forming

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

Cut through time to take a look,
examine me under the microscope,
assess my passage from the start,
the journey taken, years of growth.

Like rings within an ancient tree
revealed in hindsight by the axe,
or brickwork courses growing taller,
each one stacking on the last.

Or painted walls, each layer giving
deeper colour, gaining richness,
our lives mature, as we grow older,
building on their early promise.

Look carefully, see the DNA,
the chemical chains that snake through years,
parental nurture shaping outlook
the constraints of our family tree.

The trail is present from our birth,
outcome foreshadowed from the start,
our final face beneath the first,
foundations shaping who we are.

A combination of decorating and a nostalgic trip through our children’s school records, led me to reflect upon how much of who we become is present in who we were.
(13.08.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Joel & Jasmin Førestbird on Unsplash

Poem 650 – Past/Present Identity

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

Yesterday we delved into the past,
Chasing ancestors down ancient Devon streets.
Today, instead of lost ancestors, we found
The present in your picturesque terraces.
A surprise collision in Appledore’s Market Street
With contemporary branches of our family tree,
Reminded us that the past begets the present,
That gravestones generate identity.

Someone reads my poems! Much to our surprise Kate’s cousins read my poem about Bideford and got in touch because they were also in the area. Today last and present met.
(07.08.25)

© Ben Quant 2025

Poem 649 – Hunting Hores

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

Hunting Hores in Northam
Finding Fursdons of Fore Street
Hoping for Hugh’s headstones
In Margaret’s grand retreat
Unpicking John Lock’s locale
Crossing off Cross Street
Retracing the tracks of relies
And following their feet
We’re on an ancestry adventure
A holiday in time
And as we find their fingerprints
I’m turning it into rhyme

Day two of our holiday in Bideford. Today we headed into Northam to track down the in-law’s ancestors. And yes, the first surname has been the source of many jokes over time… (St. Margaret’s is the local church).
(06.08.25)

© Ben Quant 2025

Poem 642 – Free

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

Here, I’m safe to cast aside my faces,
not letting them slip, but tossing them without
a thought onto a pile heaped on the floor;
peeling off the accumulated layers,
revealing the pink and tender skin beneath,
exposing scars and fragile dreams and joys.
I wander naked and without a care,
secure that you will never laugh and point.
This is no mutually assured destruction,
love predicated on the fear of tit-
for-tat, but mutually assumed devotion.

I’ve been writing a series of devotional notes based upon the theme of rest. It struck me that you can only truly rest when you are able to relax about being yourself. It is a privilege to be able to find others with whom you can do this.
(30.07.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Andre Mouton on Unsplash

Poem 641 – Absent

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

Your absence wakes me,
Shakes me into consciousness,
Shouts into my ear,
I want you near, not far.
I keenly sense the space,
You occupied beside me,
The contours of the gap,
You usually fill. I will you back,
Recall your weight, your scent,
Your quiet breathing,
The gravitational pull that,
Holds me in your orbit.
I am contorted, my life abhors
This vacuum that has resulted.
It cannot be filled until
Your peace comes back
And yes, at last, resolves it.

Despite the late journey back yesterday, I woke early this morning, and this poem tumbled out.
(29.07.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Madi Doell on Unsplash

Poem 636 – Identity Theft

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

One moment I was me
The me I’ve always been
But suddenly I find
My name is actually Lynne

I didn’t know I’d bought
A new iPhone 16
And sent it to an address
In a house I don’t live in

My phone has been delivered
To a hand that isn’t mine
I’ve not done anything wrong
But still committed a crime

Joy of joys, someone has used my email address to take out a contract in a new phone from Sky…
(24.07.25)

© Ben Quant 2025
Photo by Daniel Romero on Unsplash

Poem 624 – Church Picnic

/ BenDQ / Leave a comment

A lazy afternoon, spent languidly
flinging frisbees to and fro,
dodging those relaxing on
their chairs engaged in conversation.
A family of young and old,
at peace across our differences,
united by our faith and friendship.
The only errant note? Sharp wasps
attracted by the treats we shared.

A lovely day today with the first of our church summer events, an open air service and picnic at Forty Hall. A perfect day.
(13.07.25)

© Ben Quant 2025