Gary Edward Geraci

Contemplatives in the Middle of the World

Valuable, verily volatile, a voluble Volvo

salesman voices the first reading, rich with

alliteration, sacred literature, Scripture, during

a votive funeral Mass for a vocation director,

finally breathed his last just prior to summer

vacation, voice and vocals amplified by a VOX

tube driven sound cabinet - sounds suspect to

some “All just poetry” but I suspect you’ve

already thought of that...  

 

I mean we get that

We all get that  

 

But you sally towards us now - an ally - while

just yesterday - the wile of society - all

together gathered masticating salad sides

and pizza plates at Sally and Sals Pizzaria - 

swearing to all these allegiances with

modernity and eternity - piece of a platitude:

this attitude towards a man and a woman

locked in wedlock - multitudes of children - for

the rest of their human existence - faithful only

to each other...   

 

No, this doesn’t escape us

Nothing like this is going to get past us   

 

Even missionaries to mission lands accept

missing the faces of those who will eventually

take the seed. Will that be my mistake? No.

How many may now know of Peter and how

many may now know of Paul without Peter and

Paul ever having known them? Ever. Millions

upon millions. Meanwhile, mentoring men on

uhm the works of Undset upset milquetoast

millennials who’d rather just uh coast...   

 

Well they’ve been dead for a long time

We wouldn’t expect it to be easy to understand  

 

This mission’s a perennial slinging of the grain,

singing in and out of season - woody weeds

among the wheat- granted, a yellow speck

among a sea of yellowish green - you don’t

quite stand out well enough - you won’t - 

more like vague poems recited by heartbroken

vagabonds - those few who refuse shelter for

fear of theft of the few things left they own -

“the stench of sin” - once obscure poets themselves...  

 

Yet we’d call it a masterpiece and you a laureate among poets

We’re not so troubled by that after all  

 

- Gary Edward Geraci