The Chosen (inspired by Acts 1:21-26) Eleven men gathered Where twelve once had met With their teacher, their friend From Heaven He’d been sent. Eleven men prayed Their hearts full of His Word, Eager to spread the Message Of salvation they had heard. Eleven men chose one more They cast lots and added another – […]
Prayer for a Prodigal Daughter (I composed this poem to the melody of “My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean.”) Hu-man-i-ty ne’r had an era, When kids all acquired moral aims. But this age has scorched like Sahara, With passion that sears and inflames. In childhood our daughter was lovely, In soul she was strong for […]
When I am Dead, my Dearest When I am dead, my dearest, Sing no sad songs for me; Plant thou no roses at my head, Nor shady cypress tree: Be the green grass above me With showers and dewdrops wet; And if thou wilt, remember, And if thou wilt, forget. I shall not see the […]
When Christ came in the Hidden Room… When Christ came in the hidden room He still had wounds to show, This world’s wounds are slow to heal As we the living know Even Christ who conquered death But had not yet ascended Showed the wounds in limbs and side, On Earth they had not mended […]
The Prisoner in His Cell The Spirit sighed When you were born And loved you even then It watched you as A little child Playing with your toys And wasn’t blind To your surprise When you received those blows Then the Spirit Wailed like you When you found they didn’t care And through the years […]
Best Friends Inspired by John 11:1-44 The cave held him in a damp embrace. Again, he heard his name called. Louder, more insistent. He knew it was time – Time to leave the dark cave. Slowly he stepped out Into the bright sunshine Squinting in the warmth and light of the sun. A crowd had […]
Miss Kim, For You Miss Kim, Miss Kim my hardy Lilac bush, Fragrant blossoms perfume not my garden this spring. A Southern summer singed your leaves, scorched your roots While acrid smells distracted my senses. Your fragile petals, confetti-like Fluttered to the earth, Butterflies your only lingering audience. Your nectar they miss, this season. The […]
Dawn in Gentle Breathing How lovely are the rooftops of the city While turning sleepers rest beneath the sky, Dreams that rise to scattered night clouds journey, Fragments of the grasped eternal fly Endless trains and ships of sail and motor, Pilots of the wings of morning steer, Those on foot contend with heavy weather, […]
Unforgettable This the day so long foretold The day of little light The day of justice lacking The day of man’s ingratitude The day of cowardice and fear This the day of torture and sorrow The day of darkness and death The day of horror and pain The day of weeping women The day of […]
Who are They by the Cross on the Hill? “Look at the cross on the hill! Look! Two painstaking, glorious, deathly sad people! Go, ask them who they are. Maybe they can explain in full? “The standing one – that is Mary. Pay all your respects to her since she is now your mother. She […]
In Which the Dead are Met I saw the man last night Perspective new, resentment gone We decided to be friends He died ten years ago But quarrels end As Christ walked through a door Though it was closed So all go out again Through rooms we have not seen before We do not end […]
Behold the Wood of the Cross I am the wood of the cross. A lone, dead cross beam I was chosen to be carried On the scourged back of the Savior of the World Bruising, crushing, burying in the dirt, Once, Twice, Three times The Son of Man Dead wood […]
Thrice Holy In the name of God ever-living . Father of swirling atoms, Quasars and supernovae . in the cool loam, creeping worms, Crabs a-scuttle in the surf . high trees with branches in low clouds, Man and the flesh of his flesh . woman with suckling babe. In the name of God ever-fertile . […]
Light of Day Sweet robin, rise, and sing a morning song. Your joyful noise invites the coming dawn to shine with you. Lift up your voice! The unknown day springs forth with hope! Carry on — carry on And sing your song at dawn. Carry on — carry on your cheery whistles your […]
Perception The cabin boy did his best As the wind tore at his clothes. The men said,”gods are angry, At whom, no one knows.” Awakened, Jonah stood there And he knew in his heart The Lord’s wrath for him Would cease if he departed. The boy prayed to his god But didn’t yet understand Why […]
An Ode to the Mystery of the Trinity God Holy Jesus Mary is their love Jesus Mary Joseph The family of the Dove Jesus Mary Joseph God is their love God the Holy Trinity Family from heaven above These five are untied Mater Pater Son Who shall ponder this mystery? Beyond us it shall run […]
God’s Grandeur The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod? Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared […]
Flowers in My Garden (by A Mother) Am I allowed to mourn my child who was never born? The one upon whom my eyes will never gaze, probably because of my advanced maternal age. Can I cry for you? You are a part of me. But you, you were to be Number Thirteen. The world […]
A Child My Choice Let folly praise that fancy loves, I praise and love that Child Whose heart no thought, whose tongue no word, whose hand no deed defiled. I praise Him most, I love Him best, all praise and love is His; While Him I love, in Him I live, and cannot live amiss. […]
Agony in the Garden The ivory orb lit up the quiet garden, In the place where the young man prayed. He prayed for His mother and father And all the friends He had made. He remembered the wedding party With all the fun they had had, And when the last wine was served, Their response […]
One I Knew… One I knew Cursed death As if it were a figure in a hood A skeleton and scythe A visitor, a revenant A walker in the night The death you curse is death in you It wears your face It breathes the sour breath of rage And at the banquet of rejoicing […]
Moved by Grace When I was 32 days shy of nine, my parents moved us. Away from the brilliant green waters of Recife Away from Lourdes, who made the spongiest strawberry sponge cake And she could sew aprons and matching dresses too. They moved us away from the vast, tall green stalks of sugarcane fields […]
In His Place VIII Women in your wayward weeping Shed the tears that I am keeping. Let them fall like droplets seeping For my sake and my safekeeping. Women with your balming tears Heal the rift of sin-filled years. Calm the restless, extinguish fears, Mend your lesser fortunate peers. Women let you droplets flow For […]
A Few Words on the Soul (Translated by Stanislaw Baranczak and Clare Cavanagh) We have a soul at times. No one’s got it non-stop, for keeps. Day after day, year after year may pass without it. Sometimes it will settle for awhile only in childhood’s fears and raptures. Sometimes only in astonishment that we are […]
