poets Archives - Keith Shields

Art and Argument

“Any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience.” – Rebecca West This sentiment is one to which I want to pay close attention as I write a second book. Since the author provides one half of the conversation and the reader provides the second half, I would do…

Big Picture

Song-writers can be keen social commentators that help us see the bigger picture of issues in our world. They may comment in cryptic and sometimes crude ways, but it is worthwhile hearing what they say. The Eagles wrote and performed a song for the 2007 album, Long Road Out of Eden. The lyrics of “Frail…

Fairyland

“There is such a place as fairyland – but only children can find the way to it. And they do not know that it is fairyland until they have grown so old that they forget the way. One bitter day, when they seek it and cannot find it, they realize what they have lost;…

Fortress Around Your Heart

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner is an English singer songwriter who has written hundreds of songs and has 16 Grammy awards. Most of us know him by the name, Sting. One of my favourite songs written by Sumner is this one, “Fortress Around Your Heart.” (Listen as you read these lyrics.) Fortress Around Your Heart Under…

Broken From the Start

Jon Foreman (lead singer, guitarist, main songwriter for Switchfoot) has new solo music out. He released an EP to NoiseTrade called Old Seasons, New Day and one of the songs on that EP is called “Broken From the Start.” In this song he is wrestling with his mortality with words like, “When our cords are…

Dead Ringer

Marc Martel has just released a new album and is presently on tour with music from the album entitled, wait for it, Impersonator. Yes, the former Freddie Mercury impersonator has something to say and he says it well. Using just his surname for this new band, he has given us twelve songs about being an…

The Last Time I Saw Richard

Joni Mitchell has a gift for creating pictures of sad personalities. Here as she writes of Richard, she also paints a picture of the person speaking to Richard. This is one of my favourite Joni Mitchell songs. The Last Time I Saw Richard(Words and music by Joni Mitchell; from the album Blue) (Listen to the…

Woodstock

One of Joni Mitchell’s more spiritual songs. Woodstock(“Woodstock” is track #8 on the album Shadows And Light (Live). It was written by Joni Mitchell.) (Listen to a great performance of this song here.) I came upon a child of God He was walkin’ along the road And I asked him, I said “Where’re you going?”…

Locked In A Cage

A friend of mine wrote a story that is a helpful discussion starter and I asked him to guest blog today. The story is a metaphor of life and the followers of Jesus. I share it with you here. Let me know how this story affects you. Picture us as a group of people locked…

Raise Me

As we approach Easter, our church is reading slowly through the Gospel of John. Today’s reading was from John chapter 8 which contains the story of the woman caught in adultery (read it here). This reading reminded me of a song Mike Charko and I wrote a few years ago and so I share it…