At 
last, in spite of all, a recognition
For those who loved and laboured for so long,
Who brought us, through that labour, to fruition,
To flourish in the place where we belong;
A thanks to those who stayed and did the raising.
Who buckled down and did the work of two,
Whom governments have mocked instead of praising,
Who hid their heart-break and still struggled through;
The single mothers forced on to the edge,
Whose work the world has overlooked, neglected,
Invisible to wealth and privilege,
But in whose lives the Kingdom is reflected.
Now into Christ our mother Church we bring them,
Who shares with them the birth-pangs of his Kingdom
Malcom Guite (Sounding the Seasons – Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year)
Bernhard Schunemann
26 March 2017
