Sunflower Seeds logo

Sunflower Seeds

 

Celebrating Everyday Spirituality

Sunflower Seeds

Celebrating Everyday Spirituality

Three Poems for April: National Poetry Month

As you may know, April is national poetry month. In honor of this month, I have selected three poems for you. The first is by one of our readers. The second is by a dear SND friend who passed away a few weeks ago. And the third poem is one of my own. I suggest you read all three poems slowly and aloud.

John Hopkins is familiar to many of you. He not only reads my blog faithfully, he also responds to it frequently. John is a high school English teacher from Massachusetts where he lives with his wife Kerry. They have three grown children. I have posted a couple of John’s poems on this blog in the past. This poem is from his newly published book, Celtic Nan, available on Amazon. John tells me the little girl who wrote the note in this poem is now 31 years old…

“Brid”

On a rainy May afternoon, under a prickly barberry,

the buried bird finally found its name.

For underneath the barberry, on a white piece of wet paper

resting on dark, damp pine mulch

were the words of children: “We love you Brid.”

All this remembrance and mourning,

all words and crayon hearts

were weighed down by half a brick, petals, and plenty of rain.

Killed a month ago by a cat, and then buried by a father,

Brid now flies only in the memory of the Watcher of fallen wings

and, of course, in the memory of children,

who suffer themselves to watch with Him.

Brid…

*************************************************************

Sister Alice Dugar, SND

The Second poem is by Sister Alice Dugar, SND, who passed away on March 24. It is an “Ekphrastic poem,” that is, a poem inspired by a work of art. Alice reflected on a painting by Winslow Homer. It shows a farmer, recently returned from the war, cutting down a wheat field with a scythe. Here is Alice’s poem. It is untitled.

All day—the rhythmic sound of scythe approaches.

Life as we’ve known it—upright, rooted, sun-kissed to gold—

will soon be past, harvested to stubble.

(“The Veteran in a New Field” by Winslow Homer)

And after that—what portends?

Can any promise of new life be ours?—No vision yet—

of life transformed

as flour,

as bread

as a child’s delight as she holds her mouth open

to receive the next jellied bite.

Her mouth open to receive the next jellied bite…. (Photo by Gabby K)

**************************************************************

Alice recently read my latest book of poems, Picking Strawberries. She marked a few of them that she particularly liked. Here is one she chose. It is based on Jesus’ parable of the treasure hidden in the field (Mt. 13:44). I think I know why Alice liked this poem: it describes how Alice lived her life: she bought the whole field…

“Buy the Whole Field”

First you must dig.

Then dig again. Don’t stop.

You might have to dig many holes.

Then deeper ones.

But when you hit the buried treasure,

You’ll know, you’ll know.

You’ll cry “Eureka!” or “Hallelujah!” or even “Yippee!”

But don’t stop there. Buy the field. The whole field

Not just the spot where the treasure is.

No, buy everything—the whole kit and caboodle!

The briar patch, the swales, the rocks,

the land where even a decent weed won’t grow.

You might look foolish to some, but you must buy it all,

for better or for worse.

Because that’s the way things work.

Invest everything. Don’t hold back.

You’ll see, you’ll see,

the treasure is worthy of all you have

and all you are!

Buy the whole field… for better or for worse…

I chose a poetic song by Carrie Newcomer called “The Only Way through Is in.” I dedicate this song to all who are in pain or who are experiencing debilitating illnesses of any kind… and to all those who love and care for them.

My congregation launched a new website on Monday, April 12. My blog is a part of that website. There are still a few glitches (like you didn’t get my blog early Monday, as usual.) We are still working on it. I thank you for your patience.

PS: April 15, 2021: you can now respond to my blog again! I’m eager to hear from you!

3 Responses

  1. I really enjoyed John’s poem “Brid”. It reminds me of the many birds and pets we (along side our children) buried and held funerals for. Each one was marked for a time so that we would remember that are all precious in God’s eyes.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Blog Posts

Some of us will experience a total eclipse of the sun on Monday, April 8, 2024. The Cleveland, Ohio area is in its direct path. We will be privileged to witness this astronomical phenomenon from 1:59.20 PM to 4:28.57 PM (EST) (How’s that for pinpoint accuracy!) Even if our typical

Last week this blog focused on beauty–especially the beauty of various art forms as seen in the works of local artist, Pat Firem. This week we are focusing on a topic that may be uncomfortable for many of us: the ugliness and power of evil. But as we draw nearer

Meet Sr. Melannie

Hi and welcome to my blog! I’m Sister Melannie, a Sister of Notre Dame residing in Chardon, Ohio, USA. I’ve been very lucky! I was raised in a loving family on a small farm in northeast Ohio. I also entered the SNDs right after high school. Over the years, my ministries have included high school and college teaching, novice director, congregational leadership, spiritual direction, retreat facilitating, and writing. I hope you enjoy “Sunflower Seeds” and will consider subscribing below. I’d love to have you in our “sunflower community.” Thank you!

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Loading

Upcoming Events

Finding God in the Ordinary and Amazing: An Afternoon with Sister Melannie
Weekend retreat at Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center, Pulaski, PA
October 11-13, 2024
Retreat with the Sisters of Loretto, Nerinx, KY
September 8-13, 2024
Retreat at Lial Renewal Center, Whitehouse, OH
August 11-18, 2024
Retreat at Heartland Center for Spirituality, Great Bend, KS
April 14-19, 2024
First Friday Club in Youngstown, Ohio
April 4, 2024