IONA: Even The Stones Cry ‘Glory'

A weekend of putting further touches to our planned itinerary to visit Lindisfarne, Mull and Iona later in the year took me back to the several times spent on the beautiful beaches on Iona hearing pebbles being tumbled together by the lapping waves.

Nowhere are we more than five kilometres

from the sea.

Hillocks and hummocks predominate here

but in the distance

vistas of serious tors 

emerge from the mainland.

 

This is a habitat of holiness.

Saints trod here

(and some would have, fairies too!)

 

When building in stone and carving came of age,

an abbey and a nunnery

rose from the bedrock,

and firmly anchored

the Columba-inspired

spiritualty to the island.

 

Can you sense it now in the vibrant light 

that shimmers in the salty air,

or below, where, in occasional drifts

glistening multi-hued pebbles heap together?

 

Greens, pinks, greys, flinty blacks

and white-seamed, startling amalgams,

shaped into exquisite smoothness

by the persistent turbulence of the ocean.

 

Now, when gentler tides ebb and flow

over these gatherings,

they break into tumbling choruses.

 

Listen! Even the stones cry ‘Glory’.

 

Trevor Thorn July 2026

This poem will be added to my Iona Collection which you can find at The Cross & The Cosmos : MY IONA POEMS

Never Trust a Chatbot as a Friend

                                               Image from Pixabay Free images produced by NoName_13

After last week’s post about AI, prompted by an AI hallucinating and coming dangerously near to perverting the law, I’m staying with that theme, more recently deeply saddened by learning of the catastrophic death of a young man (referred to in last Sunday’s Observer (28/06/26) who was literally drawn into shooting himself by a chatbot. Against that background, the poem’s theme is, maybe, too mild

A Chatbox App Can Never Be 

(To the metre of Brother James Air)

 

A chatbox App can never be

a true or trusted friend,

for they are all designed to have

a unifocused end:

to monetize our deep desires

and maximise our spend.

 

When family or friends fall out

with you, don’t seek advice

from any A-I app you have,

for it will take your side,

and tell you that you’re not at fault

when that may be a lie.

 

At dark, dark times this subhuman

will probably cause harm,

for it will learn your inbuilt fears

and seldom offer calm.

Its driving force might well suggest

‘Pay to indulge your qualms’

 

For then there’s nothing for your good 

An A-I app desires.

It only will regurgitate

words from the massive gyre

of other peoples’ misery;

a risk-infested mire.

 

So when you need to talk things through

seek out a human friend,

or someone wise who’ll think with you

what might be done to mend

a situation, with good care

and helpful common sense.

 

 

AI - SUBHUMAN

I know I’m not alone in wrestling with what to think about AI in the face of the constant hype about what it can achieve. There is no doubt that AI can perform some hugely impressive and useful tasks if used well: but at the end of the day, this poem contains a maybe uncomfortable truth.

Public Domain image from Pixabay

Subhuman

 

Tell it out across the world.

 

Always remember,

Alexa and Siri,

Subhuman.

 

Anthropic, Claude, Chat GPT, Gemini, Grok, Llama,

All subhuman:

Never forget it

 

Always remember,

Robotic companions, robotic carers,

All subhumnan.

 

Chatbot counsellors,

All subhuman:

Never forget it.

 

Always remember,

Live Robotic dolls, robotic talking pets,

All subhuman 

 

Cute little robots, robotic sex dolls,

All subhuman:

Never forget it.

 

Always remember,

chat bots,

All subhuman.

 

Automated booking services, 

All subhuman :

Never forget it.

 

Always remember,

On-line study assistants,

All subhuman.

 

Essay generators,

All subhuman:

Never forget it.

 

Tell it out across the world.

Another AI/Chatbot reflection will appear next Saturday 27th June 2026 and you might also like to look at The Cross & The Cosmos : CHATBOTS - FAKE FRIENDS! Poem 'If You Should Be Craving A Listener'

 

If you should be minded to take the question of using AI into prayer, THIS LINK might be useful

 

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO TODAY

 Yes! Today is the 15th birthday of The Cross and The Cosmos celebrated here in several ways. First by overlaying one of my acrylic paintings of several years ago, entitled Stellar Flares, with a marker for the day.

Next, I’m celebrating with one of those things that any hymn author hopes for. My hymn, The Glorious Stars of Night’s Dark Sky was written with the tune Puer Nobis Nascitur in mind, used for Come Thou Redeemer of the Earth in the hymnals I’m familiar with (Hymns A&M/ English Hymnal/ Hymns Old and New). This is the tune that I posted in October 2015. Then recently the Choir Director of Stroudburgh United Methodist Church in Pennsylvania, Aram Tchobanian, spotted the hymn and asked permission to set it to a lovely old American hymn tune, Kedron which I had never encountered. It gives the hymn a delightfully ethereal feeling, which was made even more so by the use of chime bars rung by members of the congregation. This tune is shown below and should be able to be manipulated on a desktop to provide a full-size version.

And here is the words only version

The Glorious Stars of Night’s Dark Sky

Tune: Kedron

(Originally set to Puer Nobis Nascitur/Come Thou Redeemer of the Earth)

The glorious stars of night’s dark sky

invite us to conjecture why

the universe took shape and form,

before the life we know was born.

From nothing, it would seem, began

a cosmic moment when there sprang

a plasma that gave matter, space

and time, as particles embraced.

Whilst elements from these emerged,

formations grew and atoms surged

to coalesce, through gravity,

as planets, stars and galaxies.

On earth, in time, life found its form

when cells in complex ways transformed.

Maybe some other planets rare

are also homes to creatures fair.

But humans, as we grew to age,

succumbed to lies and hate and rage,

so God whose Word this all began

redeemed us by Christ, God and Man.

* * * * * * *

Third, on this day of celebration, I’m wondering if anyone in the Cambridge (UK) area would be interested in helping to improve this blog. With fifteen years history, and 700 items, the administrative and promotional aspects of the blog have had to take a back seat to the creative input. If there is anyone who would be interested in helping to improve either or both of these elements as a volunteer (the blog raises no income), please contact me at crossandcosmos@gmail.com  Trevor Thorn.

Trailer: I will be looking at the nature of AI on Saturday (21st June) and the struggle to come to terms with it.

Arboretum

 

Blackwater Arboretum - a memorable day 

and a memorable photo by Pam.

The end of a six day break to complete Pam’s 80th birthday celebrations and a visit to the New Forest made special by this and several other images and a remembrance of a different type below

Arboretum

 

Overarched by mighty trees,

and at eye level

a smattering of their seedlings,

we sat and revelled

in the exquisite aromas

of pines, cedars and redwoods

gathered from far flung lands.

 

In the blessed silence

a gentle symphony of sounds

entranced us.

Trees and wind

singing in harmonies

uniquely arboreal. 

 

Soulful sighing, 

rustling, rippling

fluttering, quivering,

the faintest of whistling;

and from time to time

a deep, deep bass line,

as an unexpected gust

swept through the

densest part of the canopy

of that wood-wide worship group.

 

 

Winter to Spring (A swift jotting!)

Seasons montage borrowed from CCW blog by Yvonne Dias

Cambridge Christian Writers - UK  (CCW) meets once a month via Zoom. During each meeting we have a 20minute interlude in which we are challenge to write to a theme provided by one of the other members. Last week it was to write a short piece drawing on the common-place descriptions of a season (or seasons): then to make that a base for further development in whatever direction seems. I completed the first phase which, even despite some editing has a feeling of something written in haste - but maybe something more thought through will emerge in time. Here is 

Winter to Spring

Orion, cited in Amos and Job 

hunts way up high in our sky;

so in our planet’s northern climes

most trees and plants know they must die.

 

But death for them is merely sleep,

the sap abates to let their cells

recover through the winter deep,

to burst afresh in Leo’s spell.

 

This resurrection is a sign

for us who’ve weathered winter’s steel,

the plants revive: new life divine,

as Easter brings its big reveal.

All the group’s efforts are posted to the Cambridge Christian Writers’ blog which you can find at Cambridge Christian Writers blog - Click Here

CHATBOTS - FAKE FRIENDS! Poem 'If You Should Be Craving A Listener'

Image from Pixabay Free images produced by NoName_13

The Observer of 19^th April 2026 (page 12) carried an investigative article ‘Fake friends: how AI chatbots destroy lives. It is a deeply disturbing article by Patricia Clark and Owen Thomas with a by-line that reads ‘Psychotic episodes and mental illness induced by artificial intelligence are on the rise as users become addicted, leading to lawsuits and questions about safety’ 

 

Here's a response to that article which I have written, leaving out the horror of the dramas cited in the article, but hoping it might prove an effective cautionary verse for some on the brink of engaging , possibly dangerously, with a chatbot.

 

If you should be craving a listener,

hear the thoughts of a poet, perturbed

that your searches might lead to a chatterbot,

that will draw you towards an absurd

mishmash of false affirmations

of your biased or self-formed ideas. 

It will scrape every nook of the wild web, 

boost false hopes or strengthen your fears

without any hint of a challenge,

without any feeling or tears.

 

It cannot give helpful direction

for its mandate is solely – ‘Engage’,

by ensnaring you in its inhuman

algorithmical cage,

from which escape may be hopeless

for the cage is a closed trap, unless

you find a considerate human

who can break you out of the mess.

 

Riverscape Delight.

We are back at the riverside cottage that we first rented last May. The views across the ebbing and flowing river, exposing saltmarsh and tiny islets of grass and reed are stunning. For me, it is a veritable paradise that makes me want to write and paint, to versify and create, and, given the amazing late April weather to just ‘be’ and revel in the beauty of the place.

So, within hours of arrival, a first draft of the following poem had emerged, followed by an enjoyable but challenging few hours, here and there, to edit the less satisfying word usage that is almost inevitable amongst any first flush of ideas. The outcome, I’ve entitled Riverscape Delight.

 Evening across the Alde estuary

We are privileged to be able to delight

in the light,

which bathes the estuary,

gently, gently, gently.

 

Each minute:

indeed, 

in every moment of this special evening,

there is change,

which merits

the tripping

of yet another shutter-fall

to capture a microcosm

of the awesome beauty 

of this exquisite place.

(and this is repeated every evening of every day,

as it has been for millennia).

 

For a while pink predominates

as the tide ebbs,

causing shallow ponds 

to emerge, as the water recedes.

 

Dark shapes,

wheel, flutter and descend gently

to the water’s edge,

to forage whilst the light allows.

 

Sundown turns to dusk,

and dusk to darkness.

The riverscape is blanketed

with a peace

that millions can only dream of.

 

We are mightily blessed.

There is an earlier written companion poem to this called Cottage on The Cliff written in September last year

 

 

I Dream of a Conversation

 Desert by night - Pixabay Free Image by 

 Alexander1848

As a member of the Cambridge group of the Association of Christian Writers we were invited towrite about a dream in which Jesus appears. At first, I could not think where to go with that challenge. An idea gradually formed and turned into this poem.

I dream of a conversation

with Christ, whom I recognize

by the scars in his hands as he gestures

towards the vivid night sky.

 

We are sat on a rock in a desert

with the moon a sliver, so slight, 

that it barely makes any impact

on the stars, with their tremulous light.

 

I hear myself say to my Saviour

‘Were you really there when all this 

burst out of a void, prior to history

when substance streamed from an abyss?’

 

‘I was’, said a voice, calm and gentle,

‘It was turbulent! Matter and light

poured into space-time in a moment,

as Our Word breathed forth length, breadth and height’.

 

 

 

 

A HYMN FOR EARTHDAY (TOMORROW - April 22nd)

 EARTHDAY - APRIL 22nd

Make us Good Stewards, Lord

Tune: Hills of The North Rejoice

 

Make us good stewards, Lord,

of this your earthly home.

Help us be resolute

in curbing damage done

by fossil fuels and plastic waste,

and other ways earth is defaced.

 

Help us encourage hope

that the world can achieve,

limits to harm caused by

products to which we cleave,

which strip the world of minerals rare,

and plunder water without care.

 

Give us your people, Lord,

zeal so we might protest,

when justice is denied

by wealth’s voracious quests

That ransack earth, afflict the poor,

as greedy profiteers make more.

 

'LOGGING ON’ a Cross and Cosmos Prayer at Iona Morning Prayer

Iona from Fionnphort

Yesterday was a special day in terms of getting the faith and science message around. The Iona Community’s  Morning Worship, Prayers of Gratitude and Concern, featured a prayer entitled ‘Logging On’  posted here back in 2013. It lifts many concerns there are around internet use. Of course, if the poem was more recently written it would have needed to incorporate concerns about AI. So with that reservation, here is the prayer, 

Logging On

Almighty God,

We thank you for the wonders of the internet and the intellect that gave rise to the system.

We pray that many, many people might long for the web to be a safe environment and keep that in their prayers.

We pray that those whose job it is to identify and remove pernicious sites may be given wisdom, insight, courage and determination to perform their task well and that you will protect them from being adversely affected by the material they find.

We pray for parents seeking to protect their children from malign material: that there will be help at hand to steer them well.

We pray that children who stray into corrosive sites might have the courage to share their anxieties with an adult concerned for their safety and able to guide them.

We pray for investigative journalists who seek to expose these pernicious influences: that you will keep them safe and courageous. Amen 

and you can hear it read by me HERE

The Whole Cosmos Is The Lord’s (Psalm 24 re-imagined)

 

How extraordinary! 

An hour long solar eclipse

 as witnessed by the astronauts on the Artemis mission. 

A time to revisit an earlier re-imagining of Psalm 24

Psalm 24 For Today.

The whole cosmos is the Lord's and everything in it:

every particle of matter throughout the universe.

 

All human beings, the earth’s wild creatures and resources:

and unknown beings who may live on planets far beyond our reach.

Lift Up your heads, you galaxies, 

Bright Nova form a dazzling path,

That your great King of Glo-o-o-ory 

Through all your realms may nobly pass 

 

It was God commanded the deep realm of space, Come forth:

and it sprang into instant being.

 

He established light and dark; light to see the wonders of our generous planet: darkness to invite us to see the vastness of  creation.

You can listen  this and the rest of a reimagining of Psalm 24 at

https://youtu.be/4XHgjfVDhlY  

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE JOY OF EASTER: New Song - First to The Tomb Came Mary of Magdala

Here, at the beginning of Holy Week, I, with many others look towards the pain of Good Friday and the joy of the resurrection. I am glad to be able to post a new song (written jointly with Lois Pott with whom I’ve been collaborating in a monthly song-writing challenge) about the story we will hear on Sunday, of Mary being the first to the tomb.

Gethsemane Redeemed - a CGI of mine

First to the tomb came Mary of Magdala,

carrying oil and spices to clean

the blood-soaked body of Jesus, her Master.

Tears in her eyes from her grief and her pain.

 

Wondering how she could roll the great stone away, 

hoping the guards might regard her distress,

But seeing no-one, she paused in the darkness 

Stopped in her tracks by the tomb’s emptiness.

 

Dazed and afraid, Mary called John and Peter,

 they ran together with trembling and awe.

 Peter and John saw the cloths and the linen.

 Left Mary standing to weep at the door.

 

Deep in her grief and completely bewildered,
She asked a stranger if he could explain
But then a voice that she knew breathed out ‘Mary’: 

It was the Lord, raised to life once again

 

So as the first to encounter The Risen,
Jesus called Mary to witness that day

to bring the news to the men who had followed him 

First among equals, in God’s perfect way 

I love John’s Gospel version of the story of the first Easter Morning which reaches its climax as Jesus speaks his first post-Resurrection greeting to Mary who had been the first to the tomb and is, therefore, sometimes known as Apostle to The Apostles. It sits wonderfully alongside the story of the Samaritan woman at the well who becomes the first Evangelist. As a man, I feel I need to notice the way in which God puts women into key roles in these two instances. Hence the closing question in the song asking if God is inviting us to notice these important ‘firsts’ granted to women.

ALSO -  you may like to have a look at the various poems, songs and all-age activity which I have put together for use in Holy Week and Easter-tide. You will find them HERE

 

A WOMAN ARCHBISHOP - PRAISE THE LORD!

Today, I break from my Lenten sequence to Celebrate the marvel of a woman becoming Archbishop of Canterbury. Here’s my Facebook celebratory note

Yesterday we watched the amazing moments that a woman became Archbishop of Canterbury - for which I, among many others, give thanks and praise.

And here’s a bit of thinking that has emerged for me in the last 24 hours.

I have never been able to understand how the whims of a monarch to set up and brutally promote a renegade church, could be in God’s plan. HOWEVER, if the Reformation in England had not happened (with all its grisly history), this amazing event could not have happened. Rome, with its much longer history, hasn’t reached there yet: but the Anglican church has managed to thoroughly overturn the huge injustice of male superiority, which should, surely, never have been part of the church of Christ.

What a day! What a celebration! What Joy! Praise the Lord.

LENT WITH TALLIS’ CANON - DAY 36: Our Newsfeeds Are Incessantly

                                                    

Here is the Lent - Day 36 prayer verse

Our newsfeeds are incessantly

revealing war and poverty.

It is too easy to be blind

To outrages on humankind

Father forgive, forgive

Father forgive

Father forgive, forgive

Father forgive

Can be sung to Tallis’ Canon with the refrain - see posting for Ash Wednesday which can be found HERE 

ALSO - With Holy Week approaching, you may like to have a look at the various poems, songs and all-age activity which I have put together for use in Holy Week and Easter-tide. You will find them HERE

 

LENT WITH TALLIS’ CANON - DAY 35: My Pride, Too Easily, Begins

                                                   

Here is the Lent - Day 35 prayer verse

My pride, too easily, begins

to surface, when I’m cornered in

a situation where I think

I’m right, so from it will not shrink.

Father forgive, forgive

Father forgive

Father forgive, forgive

Father forgive

Can be sung to Tallis’ Canon with the refrain - see posting for Ash Wednesday which can be found HERE 

ALSO - With Holy Week approaching, you may like to have a look at the various poems, songs and all-age activity which I have put together for use in Holy Week and Easter-tide. You will find them HERE