The Bells Of St. Mary Magdalene, Knighton

I hear the sound of church bells ringing in the distance.
Just as I have done for the past 30 years of my life.
They are ringing out from St. Mary Magdalene's
The closest church to where I live.
The church where my parents were married
and where I was once christened.
The church where long ago I was a choirboy
and where later I was confirmed.

Nowadays I stay away from the church of St. Mary's
I am no longer a Christian,
at least in the sense that I do not pray.
I'd like to think that I have still kept my Christian values,
(or should that be humanist values?)
Treat everyone the same, be good to thy neighbour
that kind of thing.

I used to wonder what it took in one's make-up
to be a Campanologist.
Getting up early on a Sunday morning, just to pull on a rope.
Maybe it was a good way to release the stresses and strains
of the working week.
Couldn't see it myself though.
I always thought that staying in bed on a Sunday morning
was a much better idea.

There was a boy who used to be in my A-Level Economics class
who was a bell ringer.
He was a nice enough lad,
but he never managed to convince me
that it was a worthwhile pastime.
Inspite of all his passionate recommendations.

In the same way that the bells of St. Mary's
however constant and melodic
and untouched by time and change,
fail to lure me back inside the
ageing, grey, stone walls of
the holy church.

How long until the bells stop?