Nov
05
2021
By Anonymous (not verified)
Father Andy Davy, MIC, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Plano, Illinois, also writes poetry. Here, we share some of his work and his commentaries on that work in the ninth installment of a weekly series.
Thistles
The predicament to weed a thistle
Is a tricky thing.
When fingers move in for the kill
They halt --
Suddenly feeling
The future of pain
Awaiting them
If they continue.
Many turn back
From the pluck,
When present pain
And freezing fear
Keep room and board
For thistle.
But when mercy is shown
A thistle,
Roots deepen,
Defenses bristle,
And a delicate rose
Choked
From the now mature
Visitor of the garden.
That garden is your heart.
This is a poem from wisdom learned while gardening. It speaks to the struggle of the human heart to allow certain habits to be weeded out. We are tempted to leave the thistles in, but it is better to "give no quarter to the enemy Sin."
Mystery
To hold onto living water
Let it escape through your fingers.
Try holding onto ice ... that's easy.
Like catching a corpse that's fleeing.
This short poem gives us two approaches to encountering the world. One is humbly to be opened to a reality which is always greater, which cannot be quantified. This is a sacramental view of the cosmos. The second approach is to see creation as something to be captured and not reverenced. Something to crack open and use, instead of being drawn towards union with the mystery of creation.
Thistles
The predicament to weed a thistle
Is a tricky thing.
When fingers move in for the kill
They halt --
Suddenly feeling
The future of pain
Awaiting them
If they continue.
Many turn back
From the pluck,
When present pain
And freezing fear
Keep room and board
For thistle.
But when mercy is shown
A thistle,
Roots deepen,
Defenses bristle,
And a delicate rose
Choked
From the now mature
Visitor of the garden.
That garden is your heart.
This is a poem from wisdom learned while gardening. It speaks to the struggle of the human heart to allow certain habits to be weeded out. We are tempted to leave the thistles in, but it is better to "give no quarter to the enemy Sin."
Mystery
To hold onto living water
Let it escape through your fingers.
Try holding onto ice ... that's easy.
Like catching a corpse that's fleeing.
This short poem gives us two approaches to encountering the world. One is humbly to be opened to a reality which is always greater, which cannot be quantified. This is a sacramental view of the cosmos. The second approach is to see creation as something to be captured and not reverenced. Something to crack open and use, instead of being drawn towards union with the mystery of creation.
BIDM
