The texters of today are our poets of tomorrow. This seemingly counter-intuitive idea was offered earlier this month, by no lesser an authority than the poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy (The Guardian, 06.09.11). She expressed her belief that children experimenting with mobile texting could provide the next generation of poets. “The poem is a form of texting…it’s the original text. It’s a perfecting of a feeling in language – it’s a way of saying more with less, just as texting is. We’ve got to realize that the Facebook generation is the future – and, oddly enough, poetry is the perfect form for them. It’s a kind of time capsule – it allows feelings and ideas to travel big distances in a very condensed form.”

The Akedah – the horrific account of the binding of Isaac - which we have just heard is not conventional poetry but it is one of the most powerful pieces of literature that I know. With an economy of language a plethora of issues, moral and otherwise are raised. Each word is so carefully weighed that they speak clearly, starkly and at the same time initiate in our imaginations numerous scenarios that reflect those words that we provide as embellishment. Perhaps Carol Ann Duffy might see the Akedah as a form of text message.

See the full sermon at http://www.npls.org.uk/Sermons/New/RH-Morning-5772.html