Poems: ‘Unfinished Man’ (2004 & 2025), and planting the seeds of poetry with Hadau

Two poems for World Poetry Day. Plus, come along to the Hadau Arts Conference on 29th March!

I’ve long dabbled in poetry, but in the last year or so I’ve begun to make more of a habit of it, writing more pieces and beginning to share them at the Parc Arts Open Mic evenings here in Treforest. I enjoy playing with language and juxtapositions, and I find poetry allows me a freer and more immediate exploration of different moments and ideas.

I feel very much a beginner poet, but as G K Chesterton said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly” — at least, at first, I might add, and hopefully I’m beginning to at least occasionally do poetry well!

When I saw that the theme of the Hadau arts exhibition at Urban Crofters in Roath, Cardiff was “Is it finished?”, it immediately put me in mind of a poem I wrote over half my lifetime ago, before I left home for university, called “Unfinished Man”. I still don’t feel “finished”, so wrote a ‘sequel’ to it and submitted the pieces to the exhibition. I was delighted that they were accepted for display, and you can see them up until May along with a variety of other artworks in different mediums and genres.

“Hadau” is the Welsh word for “seeds”, and as well as the exhibition, there is the Hadau day conference on art and faith on Saturday 29th March. I’ll be there and it would be great if you could come too, if you’re in reach of Cardiff!

And now in honour of World Poetry Day, I’m sharing them here with you, two pieces in dialogue over the span of 21 years:

Unfinished Man (2004)

By Caleb Woodbridge (aged 18)

A plant not flowered,
a rock part-hewn.
A man in waiting,
still out of tune.
The steering wonky,
directions vague.
Hopes a-plenty,
decisions not made.

I’m being shaped and being changed,
My life still needs to be arranged,
My character’s under construction,
My mind being moulded,
My heart as yet ungiven.
I must trust to the compass
of the Word of my Lord.

Take me and make me,
break what is hard.
Take out the monster of “me”
that poisons my heart.
Melt all my coldness with your loving blast.
Grow in me love, wisdom, goodness,
Build me into the man I should be,
becoming more like you for all eternity.

Unfinished Man (2025)

By Caleb Woodbridge (aged 39)

I stand now on the cusp of middle age
Am I flowered, tuneful, fully hewn?

I’m still not finished
Though somewhat grown.
My heart’s now given
To the one I love as my wife,
We share our struggles,
Our story, our joys, our life.

An erratic journey,
Blown this way and that.
But love sets a direction
Of provision and protection
And co-creation of our little tribe
Three children now
Life’s present full focus
The locus of hope, joy and exhaustion.

Our path to parenthood
Delayed and diverted
With many fears
But our struggles a greenhouse
Our growth watered by many fears
Planted deep in darkness
Germinating perseverance, hope, character.
Now older, perhaps a touch wiser,
Monstrous ego a little restrained.

Still the path stretches on ahead
The distance left unknown
Heaven’s light now hidden, now seen,
Glimpsed in the gaps of life’s clouds
And yet I press on
Towards the light
To the warmth
Of love’s calling beckoning me on.