–for Gerard Manley Hopkins
If only the archangel Gabriel
would visit and with holy host proclaim
“Children of Creation, let there be
no anchor for rancor in the Dead Sea,
nor fuel for cruelty in Bethlehem;
let people enjoy temple, steeple, and mosque,
and live their lives and their loves without mayhem,”
perhaps the shredding shrapnel that shocks
us into rage at loss would cease, and we could reclaim
our lease on the peaceable kingdom, calm and stable,
and at long last not till the soil of hatred
to bitter harvest in the sacred homeland.
On my goodness. Beautiful, powerful, magical. I was fully prepared to grovel in praise. Now, I discover you sometimes sleep in Charlotte. The Unitarians of Lake Norman would love to have you as a guest speaker. We meet in Davidson on Sunday afternoons. You could even sleep late. We pay a modest honorarium. I’m at 843-708-1033. My email is patjobe13@gmail.com. What are your Sunday afternoons like?