Beauty

. Once Once he was finally dead; once just a piece Of meat nailed to the planks of scabrous wood;...

. Stations of the Cross . I. Pilate Why, Pentheus, Cambyses, why, Why, Antony, in days gone by, Did you...

. The Lilacs on Good Friday Tumult of noontide long ago dismissed— The rent veil unremembered, and the sun Relit,...

. The Lamb “And suddenly there was with the angel a heavenly host saying, Glory to God in the highest,...

. Distress Signals an extended villanelle Distressing times are coming round again, And all the talking heads now flap their...

. Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus I think this velvet dinosaur is fine. Please wrap it up. Does this store still take...

. Imagine Mountains For the Sesquicentennial of Robert Frost's birth (March 26, 1874 – March 26, 2024) "Let chaos storm!...

. The Line For Ashes Line is long and moving slowly: Step by step, the high and lowly, Halt and...

. You Do You God’s willing to let you do you despite the fact it pains Him to since you’ll go where...

. The Whiskey Priest based on The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene I stand condemned because I am...

. Queen Esther's Lot for the Jewish holiday of Purim (“Lots”) Oh, to be taken from home’s holy ways, Delivered...

. Change Scrub the rock with glacial ice until the granite’s smooth and bare. Let the river cut through earth...

. March 21st, Saints Cranmer and Bach Archbishop Thomas Cranmer,  burned at the stake March 21, 1556 . Johann Sebastian...

. St. Perpetua Eyewitnesses of the atrocity Report that on that Carthage afternoon, Already scourged and gored repeatedly By savage...

. Words Matter . I. Out of Context Cheats cherry-pick the words that suit their ploy To shame the names...

. Sanderling What saffron stylus could but trace the rusty scallop of the dancing wing, what sculptor’s chisel sharpened to...

. Choices Some lovers only give the rose, __Some only choose to take, Although the florist keeps a bunch __For...

. Serenade Down dash the splashlets of rain to the ground; Streams from the eaves full and fluent resound. Guests...

. For Dorothy I have at times sat silent in this chair And furtively cast looks about the room Admiring,...

. His Stories Were His Legacy Ivan, The Barber, 1882-1963 . Covered in a heavy blanket, __he sat and watched...

. Monica's Consolation for Margaret Coats, who introduced me to St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) and his mother, St. Monica...

. For Paavo Nurmi who trained against his stop-watch and in medias rez we begin as the runners approach the...

. Bowing to Power Although they might Not do what’s right, The very strong Are never wrong. If you complain,...

. Samson, Tribe of Dan "Dan is a serpent in the path. He bites the horse's heel and causes the...

. Story Time The father, he sits on the couch with a book, A child in each arm, and one...

. Sunday Morning Flock of Starlings He saw, while driving down the roadway, off 288, a flock of starlings at...

. Original Smile Fossil remains show nothing of the first Facial flourish dimpling a human cheek. Was it some reflex...

. To Catch The Wind after Tennessee Williams "We Have Not Long To Love" I want to catch the wind...

. Insomnia, My Sometime Muse She comes to me while I’m asleep,Not with strange imaginings of dreamsBut with fragmented thoughts....

. I Am with You You are with me, this day, and I’m with you; in spirit and in memory...

. The Nymph by Luis de Góngora y Argote (1561-1627) translated by Alan Steinle As morning sunlight first began to...

. Credit Does it make any sense, For me to have pride, When I just dispense, What God put inside?...

. A Walk At Night She's clothed in light when she appears; Freckles speck her argent skin. Her dazzling smile...

. The Marble Angel The marble angel stood upon a tomb Erect and at attention, wings outspread, His blank eyes...

. Ogygia Ogygia was green and fair, A dreamy vision to behold, Beyond the wars for blood and gold, Far...

. . Shoveling Out the Blizzard Snow came so thick, the roof makes pops and creaks; downspouts froze solid as...

. An Idyll at the Local Diner There is this place where you can get a fill And top your...

. Knee Jerks When wronged or hurt, the way life works, we all convert to knee-jerk jerks. Our brains react,...

. Third Eye An Ophthalmologic Triptych . The Emergency Room I came because the website told me to, My symptoms...

. Captain Francisco Menendez Born a Mandinga, on Africa’s west coast, Where farm and hunting toil supported most, But tribal...