Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
John McAndrewAugust 18, 2016
On the first day, I didn’t know
it was the first day.
The second, third and fourth passed.
And on the eighth day something
remarkable, but I didn’t tell anyone.
Remarkable, and I didn’t know.
I noted some markers like weekends
and seasons, anonymous months.
No one else attended every day of
the long long time but some noticed
the unclenching. Evening and morning
came, the 90th day. Some days later,
in an afternoon walk, beauty opened
and I inhaled. Religion preceded
and followed and did no harm,
but the weight of a carapace and
a quietly sober dream (Cain’s wandering?)
offered commentary on death.
So dying is essentially part of it,
not killing. And dying essentially
the most beautiful song.
After ten thousand days,
I knew the counting would never end,
but this interest in ordinary time sustains
itself in a still thirsty soul.
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Jesuit Father Andriy Zelinskyy, coordinator of military chaplains for the Ukrainian Catholic Church, is pictured in a 2018 photo.
When reflecting on the life, death and resurrection of the Lord while living in a state of military invasion and active war, “everything becomes more authentic,” and “God ceases to be just a concept,” says Andriy Zelinskyy, S.J. “He really becomes a source of life and all hope for you and for
PreachMarch 17, 2024
One study showed Catholics donated the least amount of money of all denominations surveyed.
Kevin ClarkeMarch 15, 2024
Bishop Luis Manuel Alí Herrera and Teresa Morris Kettlekamp will lead the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
Gerard O’ConnellMarch 15, 2024
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that exemptions that allow religious organizations to avoid paying Wisconsin’s unemployment tax don’t apply to a Catholic charitable organization.