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| ©Michael Hanke |
She sees crows upon the moor
Investigating furrows
And recalls buzzards
Poking at roadkill
By US 283.
It is an idle moment.
She is sorting laundry
Silently
Patiently.
An old clock measures her day
Like a metronome
While high in the sky
A plane catches
Western rays.
She is at peace.
Lightly
Silently
She fingers
Her olivewood cross
And turns away
From the glass,
For all these things
Must come to pass.
It was just a few days ago you mused on what happens in convents, wasnt it?
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to a convent but you capture the mood of my imaginings about them very well
That convent and the women within has played on my mind. And the nun who wrote the blog was from Texas. Thanks for reading my poem Kylie.
DeleteI like the mood of the poem, pensive. I imagine that there are many moments like that for an enclosed nun....snippets of memory surfacing from their old life in the midst of an ordinary day.
ReplyDeleteSomehow it's hard to imagine a nun in Texas.
The only thing I would add to this poem is that a nun's day would be measured by bells calling them to prayer, not clocks. Lauds, Prime, Sect, Vespers, etc.
Thank you for reading the poem and thinking about it too Jennifer. Regarding the clock, I was thinking of an old wall-clock, ticking away the days in a way that those of us who live non-monastic lives rarely experience - unless perhaps we are sitting in the armchairs of residential homes for the elderly - waiting for the end.
DeleteBeautiful poem. Made me realize I don't read enough poetry.
ReplyDeleteThank you Barbara. I am so glad that this poem struck a chord.
DeleteI like your poem very much, YP. It has made me think about nuns in a different way, not as completely focused on their convent lives but the memories they must find themselves facing when reminded of their previous lives.
ReplyDeleteMay I ask about your last line? I've always understood "will come to pass" as meaning "will happen", but I'm wondering if that's what you meant.
The last line is a direct and deliberate reference to Matthew's gospel. Nuns spend a lot of time dipping in and out of The Bible. I think "pass" suggests things happening but more than that it refers to things passing by or coming to an end.
DeleteThank you for the further explanation.
DeleteI very much enjoyed your poem. I believe we need more poetry in our world today.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bonnie. Poetry should make readers stop and think. Each word is weighed and measured.
DeleteAh. I like this post better than your last Nun one. Sometimes I am drawn - not to the religiosity and belief in One God) but a quiet, simple life. I feel you have sensitively explored that side here.
ReplyDeleteThere is indeed a lot to be said for a quiet and simple life. Thank you for reading and considering this poem Sister Kate.
DeleteA poem that describes a very ordinary sequence in everyday life.
ReplyDeleteLife is not all fireworks.
DeleteAnd none came
ReplyDeleteNone indeed.
DeleteLove your poem YP. To me, It's very moving. I was taught by nuns at a convent. For a while, when I was a teenager, I actually wanted to become one...to escape a chaotic home life I think. I had 2 aunts who became nuns, both died many years ago. We visited them once a year. I knew how they filled their days, but often wondered what filled their minds at quiet times.
ReplyDeleteI am so pleased that you connected with this poem in a personal way Lorraine.
DeleteNice! It's such a calm and serene poem. I think nuns get a bad rap -- people often think they're so fierce, but surely they have pensive and even joyful moments.
ReplyDeleteI am sure you are right Steve and thank you for reading and considering this poem.
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