POETRY

Construction O God of castles, anthills skyscrapers barns and villas by the sea, who links cementandstone oakandpine in union like manandwife to hold forever, call again the cedars of Lebanon the rock of Zion the clay of the Jordan’s edge and the desert sand to form each roof tile chimney threshold window and wall into the shape of your own perfection and shatter over it the fire of your Spirit complete. -- Sr. Eileen Haugh, OSF    Eyota, Minn.

Networking With tiny stitches like a quilt, invisible to the naked eye but infinite in number, the net is woven silently it winds round you, this unseen web of prayer; a gossamer circle, its strands shining and strong. Spun as with the quilt, by many anonymous hands, a gift of strangers to buoy you, lift you up above the abyss of pain and desolation. Rest easy in your silken net: You are not alone. -- Mildred Collier    Philadelphia

Note to poets: Short lines preferred. Poetry is published in a newspaper column only 35 characters wide, counting punctuation and spaces. Submit poems to Poetry, NCR, PO Box 411009, Kansas City MO 64141-1009, or e-mail at poetry@ncronline.org.

National Catholic Reporter, November 2, 2007