Master of Intricate Forms
by A. M. JusterNo American poet has ever matched the thorough understanding of Catholic history and doctrine that James Matthew Wilson possesses. Continue Reading »
Dr. Mumford
by J. B. TonerGood Dr. Mumford was an atheist;He didn’t really understand the Creed.But as a cautious-minded scientist,He thought it would be very wise indeedTo make completely sure (per Pascal’s Wager)That there was nothing in this Catholic bosh;And so he locked his doors, turned off his pager,And settled . . . . Continue Reading »
The Hawks in the Leaves
by Robert W. CrawfordThe silly chickens huddle in dismay.Each shadow cast by falling leaves they taketo be a hawk descending on its prey.They’re scared, while I’m just resting on my rake.Today’s the stripping day, when in a blinkour postcard fall receives its fatal blow.Some blame the southwest wind. I’d like to . . . . Continue Reading »
Oh Where Was God?
by Joseph MirraO where was God when all things fell apart;When with the fury went our hopes and dreams?We kept him at a distance from the start,And now our world was bursting at the seams.The same reports of threats we heard for years,Till background noise was all that they became,As we ignored our deeply hidden . . . . Continue Reading »
In the Gloom, the Gold
by Rachel HadasIf our days were honeycombed with cells,waxy partitions, then the gold could oozeand spill its gleam and sweetnessas easily as light traverses space.Are honeycombs so porous, though? Can lightpass through a solid wall? I tried to cleara passage so that radiance could seep throughand flood the dark . . . . Continue Reading »
Patterns of Piety
by Junior FellowsThe junior fellows reflect on Vittoria Colonna and contemporary fiction. Continue Reading »
Callistus I
by Mike AquilinaTertullian tore his dalmatic.Hippolytus had a cow.Both became schismaticwhen Callistus stood the prow. He had a heart for sinners,for concubines and such.His patience with beginnersthey found a bit too much. They fled from the forgiving,the laxity and taints.But there’s hope for all us livingif . . . . Continue Reading »
Geoffrey Hill, Prodigal
by Garrick DavisAmong poets writing in English during the last forty years, Geoffrey Hill was sometimes named the greatest one alive, but he was always named the most difficult one to read. He had come to live and teach in America in the 1980s, along with a brilliant group which included Paul Muldoon at . . . . Continue Reading »
Historical Markers
by Benjamin MyersMy father stopped at every one of them,A need to know that drove us nuts and slowedOur progress toward the lake. We stood in sweat,Lurking like hitchers by the asphalt road. The Battle of the Washita; the birthPlace of Will Rogers; any church or shoot-Out that one might say mattered stopped us . . . . Continue Reading »
On the Baptism of Our Second Granddaughter
by Thomas H. Hubert“And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.” –Gospel of Mark 1: 10 (NRSV) “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” –Gospel of Matthew 28: 20b (NRSV) To see you, child, to gaze into your . . . . Continue Reading »
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