The Departure

  • Print
Details
Written August 2012
The bombshell delivered, then abandoned
In stunned, albeit temporary, silence,
Unable to articulate what is being conceived,
Stunned by the thought that the groaning cosmos
Might somehow be divinely recreated within her
And starting but not ending in her own world
On a South London patio with its crazy paving
Of higgledy-piggledy jig-sawed incompleteness
Which fools rush in to right while this angel dares
To slip away and deliver the neighbour’s mail
Though with regret for the maiden deserted
Beneath an English oak which is no pipal tree,
Until dawning erupts in magnified magnificence
Which this angel will not hear.
 
July 2012

On viewing Carel Weight’s painting:
The Departing Angel
© Royal Academy of Arts, London;
Photographer: John Hammond
 
I am the Lord’s servant,' Mary answered. 'May your word to me be fulfilled.'
Then the angel left her.

Luke 1:38

Home

  • Print
Details
Written March 2099

Welcome to 'The duPs' - The website of Paul and Margaret du Plessis - Margaret a former Medical Social Worker, Paul a physician.

They served with The Salvation Army in Zambia, the United Kingdom, India, and their homeland of South Africa. They retired to live in Bromley, in southeast London. Margaret passed away in 2019.

Their children, Catherine and Andre, and the wider family have always meant a lot to them. Placing Paul’s poems and other information on a website has been a family request for some years. Grandson, David, took on the project and became the website architect.

Please enjoy reading Paul's poems which reflect something of their life experiences.

Margaret has researched the life of Louisa Mary Tucker, the first wife of pioneer Indian missionary, Frederick Tucker.

Please use the menu on the left and the search function in the top right to navigate through the site.

Here is Paul's most recent poem: