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Over the past year or so, members of St. Peter’s have gotten to know George Boyce as a chair stacker, wood splitter and Scripture reader, but on January 5, he added a new role to his repertoire: poet.

George writes poetry to help him reflect on his experiences and share his feelings with others, and in December he asked Rev. Bonnie if he could share a poem he’d written about his faith journey, during an upcoming service.

“It was just about wanting people to know more about me and how St. Peter’s has made a difference in my life, so I asked Rev. Bonnie if I could read a poem I’d written, and she had no problem with that.”

We’re honoured to share George’s untitled poem, followed by some comments from George, and a bit of what brought him to join the St. Peter’s family.

Embers crack beneath the soles of His feet, seeds submitting to gravity, rejecting His pocket. From the tainted soil sprouts a leaf, orange in reflection of the burning horizon. A child, born into a world of despair, trying only to mirror patience.

Grass stains the knees of his light blue jeans, but asphalt tears them apart. Wind brushes gracefully through his hair, but leaves an unforgettable chill. Abandoned in the orphanage of concrete and missing laces. Surviving despite. All watched, riveted, even as the world in its dependable folly kept spinning. He dreamt of a monkey jumping upon it, the mirror ball of confusion, and broke into dancing.

A child, born into a world of dejection, trying only to persevere. He forgave his Father for leaving him. Aged so to understand the way he was, and the way he could be. And as embers crack beneath the logs in the fireplace, keeping warm a family tenfold which he knew, he slowly forgets that unforgettable chill. He is home.

“This poem is a mix of my journey with faith and things that have happened in my life. The beginning – where it’s talking about the soles of His feet – those soles belong to God. The first verse ends with me being brought into the world by God,” George says.

“The second verse talks about me growing up and feeling abandoned by God, which is how I felt early on in my life. The third verse is about when I finally came back to church and started being present here and beginning my journey of faith again,” he adds. 

“The last line, ‘keeping warm a family tenfold which he knew,’ is all about St. Peter’s. When I came here, I found people here that I would consider family at this point, and the family I actually have is tenfold what I knew I had before. In that last line – ‘he is home,’ this is where I need to be,” George concludes.

George was baptized here at St. Peter’s, but only attended church on Christmas Eve for most of his 22 years. That all changed on Easter Sunday 2024, when he came to church with his grandmother, Gerry Dawe, and had a conversation with Rev. Bonnie that made him want to come back every Sunday.

Since then, he’s been a fixture in our services – often reading the lessons from the lectern, sitting in the front row and always taking notes in his bulletin.

“I started taking notes when I first came, because I was trying to learn, and the practice stuck. There’s a lot of insights and ideas packed into our readings, and taking notes helps me connect with it.”

Thanks for sharing your poem and your story with us, George. St. Peter’s is blessed to have you!