Enemy of God And Foe of Kings.

      Today's poem was written by one of Glasgow's best known anarchists, Guy Aldred. A man who dedicated his entire life, selflessly to the struggle of the ordinary people, a man who died with 2 shillings in his pocket. A conscientious objector, he served many years in prison. A prolific writer on a myriad of subjects, this poem was written on the eve of his first Court Martial at Fovant in 1916.

 from, A Meditation.

To the destiny of man

to the instinct of my own nature

to the martyred spirit of all dead pioneers

let me pray.

Let me commune for health & strength & endurance

in captivity

Let me pray for zeal of spirit & power of faith.

Let me pray for intellectual vision & fervour of passion.

Let all vulgarity slip from me & the word, the spirit

of truth, become incarnate in me.

Let me never deny the truth either in word or spirit.

Let me work for the overthrow of scoffers in high places,

for the destruction of scoffing.

Let me become a prophet against scepticism

of worldly piety and social unbelief.

Let me become a son of man

the enemy of God the foe of kings

the destroyer of ritual, ceremony & all useless form.

Let truth & truth alone be my mistress

and may I bring witness to her integrity

from all lands & climes.

May no worldly ambition

no temptation in this wilderness of understanding

lead me to serve the enemy of man,

the principle of power and domination.

                                                GUY ALDRED.

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