The Cock Crowed

The cock crowed A pang of guilt and I knew immediately that I had let God down It had been easier to turn the other cheek, to say nothing, To keep my head down and walk away To pretend that I had not heard them and shrugged it off. The cock crowed My face reddened as I shyed away I had not spoken up, I had kept my light firmly under the bushel, Salt and light I had not been because I had other things to do, Kept busy with trivia rather than get involved. The cock crowed I felt shame deep inside as they looked at me. I had made a joke, laughed aloud, been one of the crowd Blamed the spouse, or parents or children Hid the evidence, blended in and hoped no one would notice. It had only been audible to me. That gentle yet powerful whisper, That every so often shouts to our conscience and awakens it. A tug of love, which makes us so ashamed that in the face our creator we either want to run away or fall on our knees in repentance. God's glory and our frailty, so far apart That God's tears and our own flow And we realise deep within that healing will only come through a compassionate and merciful Saviour.