October is always such a busy month with work that it's hard to focus on other things. It's a shame, because I love autumn and find it an inspirational time of year for my writing, but these days I spend a lot of time running around work dealing with all of the normal business of the start of a new academic year.

There's an odd contrast between the withering and decay of autumn, and all of the fresh faced undergraduates experiencing growth and a new chapter in their lives. In a lot of cases they're also experiencing the decline in temperature and weather common in the UK at this time of year, but it rarely seems to dampen their optimism!

It's not always easy to make a fresh start, move away from home, and be thrown into the mix of the fun and intensity of university. All that being said, at times, I still envy them.

As a Lent exercise this year, I've been trying to create found poems from the set texts for each Sunday. My rules were that I could only use words from the texts, in the order they appeared on the service sheet each week (usually Collect, Old Testament, Psalm, New Testament, Gospel). 

This poem is from the Third Sunday in Lent.

Woman

But first you shall labour,
Blessed Mother.
Your days are hidden.

Eternal soul,
sure and innocent, rejoice!
The Lord endures forever.

Your message is power.
Those who believe, proclaim
the temple of his body raised.