Please see near the end of the blog for text version of the poem.
The Ancient Chapel of Toxteth
Ancient Chapel of Toxteth Park,
born from toil on borrowed land,
bones of sandstone and river blood,
iron cast by king's command.
Quiet in grief of war and woes,
silent in schism of hallowed rule,
the pious spirit seeped in the bones
of Toxteth chapel in Liverpool.
In age of empire paved with blood,
floods of prayer in reverie,
graves in memory of Davenport,
and other kings of slavery.
Peace settled in Toxteth chapel,
quilted silence, storm-wracked past,
dust curtains in wilting light
heavy with memories amassed.
The theme of the slave trade, and Liverpool's part in it as the empire's main port, bleeds into the ballad which explores the duality between the pride I feel for the historical places in my city, and the disgust at the part that Liverpool played in the slave trade.
Many people might ignore or wish to gloss over these realities of history, but I feel strongly that it is the job of the poet to approach the bitter as well as the sublime.
Carl Gustav Jung once wrote of a dream he had about Liverpool:
> The various quarters of the city were arranged radially around the square. In the center was a round pool, and in the middle of it a small island. While everything round about was obscured by rain, fog, smoke and dimly lit darkness, the little island blazed with sunlight. On it stood a single tree, a magnolia, in a shower of reddish blossoms. It was as though the tree stood in the sunlight and were at the same time the source of light. My companions commented on the abominable weather, and obviously did not see the tree.
The dream represented my situation at the time. I can still see the grayish-yellow raincoats, glistening with the wetness of the rain. Everything was extremely unpleasant, black and opaque – just as I felt then. But I had a vision of unearthly beauty, and that is why I was able to live at all. Liverpool is the “pool of life.” The “liver,” according to an old view, is the seat of life, that which makes to live.”
Carl Jung: Memories, Dreams and Reflections, page 223
Jung saw the duality of Liverpool that I spoke about in his dream. I truly believe that it is only with knowledge and emotional attachment to the past, that we will develop the collective unconscious as Jung called it. Learning to perpetuate love and understanding through knowledge of where we have gone right, and breaking the negative cycles of history by understanding where (and why) we have gone terribly wrong.
Thanks for reading 🌿
The photos used in this post are my own taken at Toxteth Chapel; the music used in the poetry reading is CC license links to credit:
Music: [Heartstrings by the Lemming Shepherds](https://www.freemusicpublicdomain.com/royalty-free-new-age-music/)
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