A KIND OF BEAUTY

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee”

When I peer into
The chasmic void
I behold

A velveteen God:
Plush, absorbent,
Bouncing-lightless

But drawing me
Into folds of mystery,
As if I’d entered

A fabric store laden
With Lycra, linen –
Towering bolts of cloth –

And emerged swathed
In garments gleaming
Without reflection –

For the mirrors
Shattered when
I looked on you:

Vast; ponderous;
Silent, yet containing
Music; still, yet dancing;

Beyond definition.
I stay with You only
When I accept
I can never know you.

– Rita Glennon

First published in the April 2024 issue of Eremos magazine.