Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Philip C. KolinDecember 12, 2011

In sapphire light they gather
And are gathered by God
An assembly of cowls

Men hidden inside their souls
So the world cannot peer in
Eyes bright as pearls

They read about Him
In the tiny, curved places
Where God’s ear is closest

His voice clearest
In the serifs, parentheses,
Apostrophes, the calligraphy

Of creation and apocalypse both,
Light and wounds
The one in the other when

The Word enters in silence.
They have become adjectives
Seeking the only noun that counts.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Biden, the nation's second Catholic president, spoke with the pontiff to name him a recipient of the award, the White House said.
Kate Scanlon - OSV NewsJanuary 12, 2025
People accept food distributed from a truck by a Haitian government program in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, April 6, 2020, amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other faith groups then were urging the Trump administration to support debt relief for poor nations. (CNS photo/Jeanty Junior Augustin, Reuters)
More than 60 Catholic institutions, congregations and individuals have signed a letter imploring Mr. Biden to endorse a new round of assistance to the world’s most indebted nations from the International Monetary Fund.
Kevin ClarkeJanuary 10, 2025
‘Nickel Boys’ preserves Colson Whitehead’s critically acclaimed narrative style while adding cinematic texture that enhances key details of the book.
Grace LenahanJanuary 10, 2025
I have trouble talking about the loss without tearing up, as if the smoke and ash from Los Angeles traveled across the country to find me.
Greg ErlandsonJanuary 10, 2025