Welcome back to the Daily Poem here in the Close Reeds Podcast Network. I'm David Kern. Today's poem is by

Malcolm Gite, who is a English poet, singer-songwriter, Anglican priest, and an academic. He was born in

1957. For many of our listeners, today is the day when they commemorate, recognize Ash Wednesday.

Many of you are going to church today and having Ashes put on your forehead in the sign of

the cross. And one of my colleagues here, Brandon, actually requested this poem, and it's by Malcolm

Guide. It's called Ash Wednesday. And it seemed the right day to read this poem.

If you want to learn more about Malcolm Guide, you can go to his website, which is Malcolm

Geite, that's g-u-I-T-E dot WordPress.com. Again, that's Malcolmguight.orgate.orgon,

for more on Malcolm Gite. Lots of poetry there, lots of his other writings,

some of his talks and his songs and things like that. So this is Ash Wednesday by Malcolm

Guyton, per Brandon the request. Receive this cross of ash upon your brow,

brought from the burning of Palm Sunday's cross. The forests of the world

are burning now, and you make laid repentance for the loss. But all the trees of God would

clap their hands, the very stones themselves would shout and sing, if you could covenant to love

these lands and recognize in Christ their Lord and King.

He sees the slow destruction of those trees.

He weeps to see the ancient places burn.

And still you make what purchases you please,

and still to dust and ashes you return.

But hope could rise from ashes even now,

beginning with this sign upon your brow.

When Brandon sent me this poem,

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