Under the tutelage of Fr. Gerard Manley Hopkins
Clumps of crimson-bright berries clustered close;
Red to catch the light, red to glow in sight,
And numbered, numbering gross
Winter feasts for feeding fowl on berry:
First feed, take flight,
Return to gorge. More! Most
Moist in juice, the cherry
Hued globes - glut of fuel - and sweet in shell; then flight - high and airy.
Would we be so rich in moment,
This shared moment potent,
Fed fully like feathered creatures!
This second excluding no one:
Well in health and playful fun,
Or lost in luck with aching heart.
Wealth is ‘now’: ‘now’ a speeding dart,
‘Now’ a young leader, ‘now’ a truth seeker,
‘Now’ calling himself the Son
Of God. The descent down meant
Rendering also onto Caesar.
Treasure, time, and talent
This eternal minute is a gallant
And noble Teacher,
A giving Teacher, a rich Teacher;
Sharing NOW, a royal Teacher.
Gary Edward Geraci