When Entangled (WC)

(Wendy Cabell, composed sometime in February but gathered March 3, 2025, Beginning of Great Lent, feast day of Our Lady of Miracles, Our Lady of Angels, the Volokolamsk Icon of the Mother of God, Saint Non of Wales, Saint Katharine Drexel, Saint Teresa Eustochio Verzeri, Blessed Concepcion Cabrera de Armida, Image from here.)

When Entangled

(for Pope Francis, February, 2025)

Seeds fallen among thorns 

Bills and bicker, borders 

                     closing 

            choking

lung’s lament

Be simple 

Our Mama says 

                Breathe,

                          Love, extraordinary bloom 

 

                                       petals permeated 

                                             alchemical sweetness 

 

                                                              needs time

                                                         needs space 

bed, chair, table glow, hands touch across —

Everything else is secondary

*Inspired by Matthew 13:7 (see also Our Lady of the Thorns), Our Lady of Mercy/Pellevoisin, André Frossard, Pope Francis and 2 Kings 4:8-11 respectively.

To lean towards Love (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, February 16, 2025, Sunday of the Prodigal Son, feast day of Our Lady of the Thorns (burning bush), Our Lady of Sajópálfala, the Weeping “Tikhvin” Icon of the Mother of God, Saint Mariamne the sister of the Apostle Philip,  Blessed Bernard Scammacca, Blessed Filippa Mareri. Image from here.)

To lean towards Love: 

forgiveness

patience

joy

says today’s homily.

Our local centenarian’s twist, 

Walk on the beach. 

Work hard. 

Be kind.

*From prompt: Free write as inspired by “Trying” by Ada Limón.

From Lisa Freedman’s BreatheReadWrite, February 16, 2025. 

Mother’s Nature (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, February 10, 2025, feast day of (above) Our Lady of the Doves, Our Lady of Kurešcek, the Areovindus (Fire-appearing) Icon of the Mother of God, Saint Paul shipwrecked, Saint Scholastica (soul ascended as dove), Princess Anna of Novgorod, Saint Caedmon, Saint Merwinna, Blessed Eusebia Palomino Yenes. Image from here.)

Mother’s Nature

Years, footsteps up the mountain — my song dims.

Pansy’s song still wakes the Sun, Stars tuck the Moon. 

Man’s Best Friend, muscles in motion, keeps beside me.

Clockwork instinctive. Steady. 

Brims, brushes Sky with praise.  

Me, I have to remind myself to pray come eve. 

To down the pen, walk over to my Joseph. 

To let hands touch, heart humm. 

I know it wants to. 

I know the owls begin their watch,

the jasmine blooms. 

“Put your hoe down” Joseph tells me,

“work is done”. Or even if it isn't, 

night’s music has begun...

*Inspired by Mom's relationship advice: "Now here's what I want you two to do when you start to fuss. Just take a minute. Hold each other's hands. Look into each other's eyes. And say I love you.". And from prompt: Write about a struggle trying to connect with the non-human. From Tresha Heaffner’s Write Games (the Poetry Salon), February 10, 2025.

Queen of Heaven (WC)

(Wendy Cabell, February 2, 2025, Candlemas, feast day of (above) (amazing butterfly connection here), Our Lady of Coromoto, Our Lady of Good Success, Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac. Image from here.)

Queen of Heaven,

waves they follow

if I could too.

Silk Your hem across my cheek,

                                 hymn Ave.

A babe lifted, my eyes fasten

upon You —

You, my sheerest passage

                                   Home

*From combined prompts: Freewrite in the spirit of love as worship, and love as pleasure, considering poems such as “Dulzura” by Sandra Cisneros, and quotes such as Adrienne Maree Brown’s “...part of the joy is in the feeling of enough… There is enough love in this world for me to experience…. the sustaining generosity… the interconnectedness of all life…” from “The Power in Pleasure”. From Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo’s Messy and Brite: Writing the Love Poem (The Poetry Salon), February 2, 2025.

Memory Eternal (WC)

A SoulCollage card made last night in loving memory of my Mother Jackie. Made before knowing the English translation for the French verse on it. Looking it up now, it’s:

As God gave food to the birds, 

He sent His Son to you

O Lord, give rest to the soul of Thy servant Jackie.

May she rest in peace,

and may perpetual light shine upon her.

Amen.

*"Memory Eternal" is a traditional Eastern Orthodox phrase for honoring for the departed

Sky-True (WC)

(Wendy Cabell, January 28, 2025, feast day of Our Lady of the Green Scapular, Our Lady of Succor, the Totemsk-Sumorin Icon of the Mother of God, ("consolation after the loss of loved ones; strengthening of faith"), Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Cannera of Inis Cathaig, Blessed Olympia Bida, On Jewish calendar today, Rebbetzin Chana (mother of the Lubavitcher Rebbe) born (1879). Image from Joseph MacRae, horizontal Angel we saw in sunset 1/23… feels like a blessing.)

Sky-true

(Grandma Dee’s version of Disney's “When You Wish Upon a Star”,

Sometime 1970’s)

“Grandma, are they singing fate there, or faith?”

“Well, I’m not sure. But if it isn't faith, then it should be”

Like a bolt out of the Blue

Faith steps in and sees you through

When you wish upon a Star

Your dreams come true

Lily Song (WC)

 

(Wendy Cabell, from previous post: a past poem revisited January 10, 2021, Sunday of the Blessing of the Waters (Eastern Orthodox); and feast day eve of Saint Luminosa of Pavia (patron of booksellers; represented with lily/three lilies) and of the above Yelets Icon of the Mother of God)

An early poem, Mom said it was one of her favorites, so reposting it to remember and honor her

Lily Song

And why are you anxious about clothing?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;

they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even

Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like

one of these. - Matthew 6: 28-29

Sparkles are empty, now after the real,

And this longing for beauty is forever.

Breeze through the field now, blows where it will,

And this longing for beauty is forever.

Through sun, through dew, till we drop to earth, to sky,

And this longing for beauty is forever.

Sky too deep too blue to dazzle -- holy mantle,

And this longing for beauty is forever.

Sparkles are empty, now after the real,

And this longing for beauty is forever.

Breeze through the field now, blows where it will,

And this holding of Beauty is forever. 

Upon running away from home, age 4 (WC)

(Wendy Cabell, January 25, 2025, feast day of Our Lady of Bethlehem(Spain), Our Lady's Shroud, 3 Icons of of the Mother of God at Hilander Monastery ((above) Milkgiver, Akathist, and Priestly)), the Unexpected Joy Icon of the Mother of God, the Assuage My Sorrows Icon of the Mother of God, the Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Blessed Archangela Girlani. Image from here.)

Upon running away from home, age 4

Yes, it happened. 

Our front door sang that morning, I made it a mile or so. 

The Swiss Miss girl, I knew she’d take me in.

Being Queen of the fairies and all,

she'd up and hug me, spot family when she sees it.

We'd brite the trees together, share sage tea,

waken deep nestled in rosebuds.  

A refuge, you see, with the wee folk, 

if nowhere else.

And if I ever grew up, I’d remember — 

no matter what happens out there, 

somewhere, 

                   glow-glimmer slips though

 

*From prompt: Freewrite as inspired by  “As Girl” by Annie Wenstrup. From Lisa Freedman's BreatheReadWrite, January 25, 2025.