Her fingers fluttering
like sparrows’ wings,
Sister Benvenuta taps
the lectern which holds her up.
Under the soft folds of
her linen gown, her candle-wick body
flickers, her black veil ballast.
Over and over pale notes
wash the rough-hewn walls
of the chapel until she leavens them.
Like Chanticleer she cocks her head
at a sour sound. Her iron will makes
plainsong rise like baked bread:
slowly, dark-grained, oval-shaped, and crusty.
The Braided Way is a framework to see every faith tradition as a strand, braided into a larger whole of spiritual awareness. In the Braided Way, combining spiritual practice from various faiths allow us to explore sacred experience and wonder in forms that resonate with our personal spiritual needs and sacred intuitions. In today’s culture, many people shun religious dogma, but yearn for spiritual connection. The Braided Way allows the ceremonies and practices of multiple faiths to be available without the confinements of cultural dogma.
Liz Dolan’s poem here is stunning! Praise to the musicality of it, to its brazen imagery, and to the story. And to see that she lives at Rehoboth Beach was a bonus, as the Beach and Delaware are my old stomping grounds, always calling me. I might just want to memorize this poem!