13 October 2013

Falling in Love with St. Francis



Saint Francis in the Woods - Albert Bloch
Saint Francis in the Woods - Albert Bloch, 1927


We hang-glide in the Apennines
     where he walks in dense leaves
swallows swoop to see him pass

We follow trails he blazes
     paved by centuries of walking
hermitage to wooded peaks

We kiss to touch our hunger as he feeds
     birds and wildlife and gives
            all to lepers and the poor

We kneel face to face and brave time
     where he praises Sister Earth and Brother Sun
and gilds altars for transubstantiation

We lean over Italian-English dictionaries
     he reinvents theater as presepio
            live crèche in fields with animals

We each take him home in poetry
     his prayer in our hearts as we
            pack our bodies into suitcases




Re-posted Written Saturday for Karin's Poetics Italian-Style at dVerse Poets Pub. Re-posted Sunday at Poets United 

Poetry Pantry # 171.  Find the poems of St. Francis HERE.




Copyright © 2013 S.L.Chast
Chosen for book 11/2013


            
Labels: , ,

28 comments:

  1. brudberg10/13/2013 3:35 AM

    Wonderful words of pilgrimage and poetry,,, the first stanza of hang-gliding really pulled me in.. and a wonderful cadence of the words.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan10/13/2013 3:45 PM

      Thank you, Bjorn. I like pilgrimage and poetry together, especially when performance joins them.

      Delete
  2. Gabriella10/13/2013 3:44 AM

    I visited Assisi twice and was amazed at the serenity of the place. Francis of Assisi's legacy seems to live on there. I agree that he wrote some beautiful prayers.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Roslyn Ross10/13/2013 4:18 AM

    We do pack our bodies into suitcases don't we? Nicely done.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Claudia10/13/2013 4:48 AM

    very cool...so you walked in his footsteps...how exciting must that have been... packing the bodies back into the suitcase upon departure...yet the soul lingers still there a bit...eh..? smiles

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan10/13/2013 3:46 PM

      Always. I left a bit of myself in Italy, too, as it didn't all fit in the suitcase.

      Delete
  5. Brian Miller10/13/2013 7:59 AM

    wow. much to like in this one....folding ourselves in suitcases, what an image eh? smiles...i do rather like st francis...and his compassion, i think there is much we can learn there if we walk with him for a bit....the leaning over the dictionary stanza was a fav.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan10/13/2013 3:48 PM

      Some aspects of his history are Buddha like, but his practice mixes a bit of pagan into his Catholicism.

      Delete
  6. Mary10/13/2013 8:33 AM

    Sounds like a wonderful experience, Susan. That last stanza is beautiful. Love the idea of taking him home in poetry, his prayer in your heart, packing yourselves into suitcases. THAT stanza, for me, MAKES the whole poem!! Bravo.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous10/13/2013 9:24 AM

    Susan - just lost a comment--I really like this so much--I especially like the contrast at the end between the poor travelers squeezing themselves into suitcases after the contemplation of the wild and the divine--the open-nessof Saint Francis. Thanks so much for participating with this very cool poem. k.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan10/13/2013 3:50 PM

      Thank you for the prompt, K. I felt a little old world compared to the other Italian connections I have been reading!

      Delete
  8. Scarlet10/13/2013 10:14 AM

    He is an inspiration to many & his deeds will live on as fine examples ~ Lovely share Susan ~ Happy Sunday ~

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous10/13/2013 12:04 PM

    this is truly lovely and inspiring. :<)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10/13/2013 12:15 PM

    What an amazing piece, Susan.
    And OH, this:
    "We kiss to touch our hunger as he feeds"

    Goodness, that line will stick with me. Incredible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan10/13/2013 3:51 PM

      Thanks! I nearly put a little cliche--hungry lips--but this is what I meant.

      Delete
    2. De Jackson10/13/2013 10:09 PM

      It's perfect as it is.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous10/13/2013 12:16 PM

    Also:
    "We each take him home in poetry."

    Sigh.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous10/13/2013 1:02 PM

    Lovely... such a beautiful creation... I liked the beginning.
    -HA

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nissa Annakindt10/13/2013 1:31 PM

    Beautiful. It somehow reminds me of when a priest from India who received me into the Catholic church told me about his pilgrimage to Assisi. It made me fall in love with St. Francis, and now you have had the same effect on me.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous10/13/2013 2:13 PM

    oh, that last stanza is outstandingly beautiful. wonderful work here... thank you so much for sharing...
    ~Miriam

    ReplyDelete
  15. Kay L. Davies10/13/2013 4:22 PM

    Always my number one favorite saint of all time.
    Luv, K

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sherry Blue Sky10/13/2013 6:02 PM

    Am so horribly late in making my rounds....sigh......I love St Francis and adore the packing of our bodies into suitcases.............

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous10/14/2013 12:17 PM

    I very much enjoyed the stillness you have captured and your selection of visual details to bring this story to life. Poring over the dictionary is fab.. and the twist of what goes into the suitcase a great ending.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous10/14/2013 1:09 PM

    wonderful, peaceful poem, the pacing fits the subject and mood

    ReplyDelete
  19. Mystic_Mom10/15/2013 4:19 PM

    Love St. Francis and this is an amazing piece. What a great tour you took me on. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Margaret10/15/2013 9:58 PM

    The freedom of the first stanza is lovely and taking St. Francis home in poetry - well, I love that image.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)