Bob Steyn: In Memoriam
like a burst of light
you came into my dark night of confusion
like a cool fount of crystal water
in a desert of dogma left behind
as you named and blessed my kin
the wisdom of your words anointed me too
the veil was rent
the scattered puzzle begun anew
the old shapes of the cross outgrown
in your wider circle I found a new home
as I left your sacred chapel
I knew I would return
for this was a place of love
and searching
where my flaming quest could burn
in time, you became my teacher-friend
receiving my letters
meeting to talk at noontime
like a bowl catching the spilt water
of my ideas and conflicts
only to nourish the budding multi-coloured flowers
of my consciousness
but the grabbing hands outstretched
for your healing words and touch
with office pressures and ministerial duties
became too much
our scheduled space ended
it was time for me to fly alone
carried by the expansive wings
of the philosophy we now shared
my navigator's map
(a gift from you)
set a course
for we Aquarian Conspirators
a new breathing together
a shifting paradigma
now I knew
I was not alone
in ritual, counsel and celebration
you walked with me through the valleys
when my name symbolised my quest
my family offended and I misunderstood
when crime shattered my peace
my home my body my mind violated
also you scaled with me the peaks
sometimes guide
always fellow seeker of new vistas
when I was welcomed into the Unitarian family
recognised among liberal thinkers
when I celebrated twenty-one years of life
embracing freedom with responsibility
when two hearts became one
filling each other's cups
onward you continued your steadfast service
the brilliance of your sun and moon shining bright
but like a secret witness
I caught fleeting glimpses
of the flickering shadows of fatigue
which threatened to eclipse the light
yet you shone forth
burdened
yet uplifted
by a needy world
and days so finite
this poem is incomplete
ended too soon
like your life it would seem
but the circle is drawn
like the serpent with tail in mouth
every ending a new beginning
every death
a new life
— Wayne Visser