Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Bereavement {A Poem}


Bee in moonflower

In one swift stroke
The sharp scalpel of sudden loss
Slices away soul calluses,
Exposing quick and tender heart beneath.

Laughter and tears alike
Bubble over more quickly now,
And keenly.
Her glad tidings, his courageous witness,
Every family celebration,
New thorn of affliction,
Persistent pierce of the old
That had become normal—
All sting as they prod
That raw place
Left by loved one lost.

Each “first” passes with wistful weeping
And the ache of remembrance.
Slowly, inscrutably,
The soul accrues fresh calluses
To shelter the quick and tender heart
From the vicissitudes of postlapsarian life,
Until the scalpel strikes again,
Until the woman’s Seed shatters it in pieces
And wipes away all tears,
Our hearts made whole.

The long night shortens.
Soon we shall weep no more.

Young cardinal, Nonni's favorite bird



Thursday, October 8, 2015

When Morning Gilds the Skies

My heart awaking cries,
"May Jesus Christ be praised!"

The highlight of Monday morning's sunrise

Minutes later, as the orange began to fade to rose