Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Philip MetresNovember 04, 2015
O unnamed & only 
son too soon
slipped from tender clutch
of unripe body
 
from cursed branch
I will hang 
what’s left of you
until you bloom into bone
 
unnamed & only
aviary of ribcage
I will play what is 
reft from me
 
& cradle the hole
what is singing
Philip Metres

Philip Metres, professor of English at John Carroll University in Cleveland, is the first winner of the George W. Hunt, S.J., Prize.

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

Most popular

1
Exorcist priest pleads not guilty to battery charge over alleged incident during relics tour
Simone Orendain – Catholic News Service
2
Is there an ‘upside’ to aging? Sister Joyce Rupp thinks so.
James Martin, S.J.
3
From high-brow classics to beach reads: 100 years of book recommendations from America magazine
James T. Keane
4
The Vatican’s Catholic influencer Jubilee is worth celebrating—and scrutinizing
Noah Banasiewicz, S.J.
5
Revisiting the magic and mystery of Thomas Mann
Franklin Freeman

Your source for jobs, books, retreats, and much more.

Find Grace and Hope in Long-Term Grief – An Online Course
Spiritual Resources
Saint Joseph’s Seminary – The Major Seminary of the Archdiocese of New York
Seminaries & Theology Studies
Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition Development Manager
Jobs
Franciscan Spiritual Direction Training Program-NOW ENROLLING
Spiritual Direction
Loyola on the Potomac, A Jesuit Retreat House
Retreat Houses, Retreats
See all Classifieds

The latest from america

The Eucharist and controversy: History, theology and why we argue
Latin Mass, Eucharsitic Revival, real presence: In every age—including our own—the church has seen a complex Eucharistic landscape.
Louis J. CameliJuly 30, 2025
Christ the concept never saved anyone
A Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, by Father Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinJuly 30, 2025
Leaders of men’s religious orders discuss fraternity and faith at annual assembly
Acceptance of changing tides was a major theme at the recent Conference of Major Superiors of Men National Assembly.
Katie V. Jones - OSV NewsJuly 30, 2025
Catholic influencers’ festival celebrates evangelization in the digital age
Catholic digital content creators reflect on their experiences at the Vatican's first-ever Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers.
Junno Arocho Esteves - Catholic News ServiceJuly 30, 2025