To hatch, to match and to despatch, br Those clichéd words, so glibly said br To total all this ruin’s worth, br To bless the bride, to shrive the dead. br br To christen infants and to be, br To all who sought a comfort sure, br A barque of safety on that sea br That laps at last on Heaven’s shore. br br But now no longer do these walls br Give back the chant of psalm or hymn br No more will flickering candles light br The pilgrim’s way through shadows dim. br br The congregation now is changed br A different choir its songs now sing br As drunken men and women too br Pass meths around a ragged ring. br br But surely these, these wounded ones, br With battered face and battered mind br Are welcome in the home of He br Who gave His life for Humankind. br br For were He here and with us now br Where would He go, where would He walk? br With those who suffer, those who hurt? br Or those whose Charity is talk. br br Perhaps this building, gaunt and grim, br With roofless walls, with gaping door, br Has now at last fulfilled its fate, br To be a refuge for the poor.