Aaron's Rod

As the bovine Hercules,
(A beast the size of which you only read of in myth),
Charged down on us like some vengeful demi-god,
Tore up the field,
And kicked it away behind itself,
In it's thunderous run,

As the church-folk quivered,
And sought the safepoint of the style,
You stood,
Towering your five foot ten,
Like a monolith,
Made monstrous in my eye's mind,
A monster to make dwarfs of your foes,

You were like Moses,
Like a deliverer,
Furious with the golden Bull-calf,
Your staff in both hands,
Your feet, like your furrowed face,
 Set,

Mud-stuck,
And with a single thrust,
With rod aloft the air was struck,
I was agasp, struck dumb,
The dumb luck beast,
Faced down,
Your Thunder,
Your frown,

That old friend and confronter of mine,
Turned defender now,
Your rod and your staff,
They comfort me,
Chastiser,
Protector,
Hero with your hands out,

Aaron's rod
Held aloft,
You cried out,
Like a snarling cowboy,
Driving the whole heavy herd with his growl,

And like the Red Sea,
The field was split in two,

The fleeing flock on one side,
The Bull-calf on the other,

And you,
The dividing line between them,

Whilst across the boundary we put feet on the safety of the promised land,
You held the bull at bay, with outstretched hand,

You whispered soothingly,
And the bewildered beast was mesmerised,

And you had done this so oft' for me,
To stand in the gap, betwixt me and the sea,

Though I saw not the danger ahead,
Though I feared not for life,
Though I felt not the dread,
You stood in the gap for me,
So often barring doorways,
You stood,
At times on your knees,

And held the tides at bays,
As then you appeared to my boyhood gaze,
And as flawed as you are, through all my days,
You stood in the gap for me,
And held bulls at bay so I could go free,

And slowly you back down the field,
Your arms still stretched out,
You retreat but not yield,

I know the style is now closer to your heel,
And the final freedom you can almost feel,
But you are backing your way down there,
The bull through the years still feels yours stare,

And I watch you proudly from behind,
Bearing this in mind,
As my radiant face with pride did shine,
The father who saved us, is mine,