THIS IS NOT THE SECOND COMING

I recently was in Lisbon and I visited the statue of Christ on the opposite bank of the river. I have to confess I have no head for heights and I waited at the bottom while my friends went up to take in the views.

While I was waiting I wrote this.

I'm standing at the feet of Christ

who towers a hundred metres above me,

his arms outstretched to love the world,

but this is not the second coming,

this is not even Rio.

This concrete white man

is a celebration of Portugal's

divine neutrality in World War Two,

and I don't want to ride the lift

up to the views and the gift shop at the top.

I'm stood here at the bottom in the scrub land,

thinking about Jesus.

I leave you with a Ryley Walker live. Stunning stuff.