Joy, joy, joy oh tripartite joy!
On winged insects bathing plumage feast,
Flown from forests, over fields of beast,
Drawn to gurgling fountains falling, toy
Landscapes of castled estates a boy
Dreams of sharing, her laughter his peace.
Requite love, pure and free, not to cease,
Not to flicker, nor to fail - enjoy!
One Whom time does not diminish
Unites their souls, bodies transfigured,
Weary no more, without depletion,
Life springs forward in form and finish.
Highborn, transcendent at Tabor, fed
By Christ and through Christ, take completion.
Gary Edward Geraci
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Author:
Gary Edward Geraci (
Offline) - Published: August 6th, 2020 13:42
- Comment from author about the poem: Today, August 6th, Catholics celebrate the feast of “The Transfiguration of the Lord.” In a brief moment of contemplating the three booths that Peter wishes to erect at Tabor, the site of our Lords transfiguration, one could exclaim “joy, joy, joy!” Though this association would be fitting, the first line is but a copy of a response to a fellow Instagram member’s content on “joy” that fuels this sonnet. Natural happenings in the back yard coupled with the poet’s imagination then flesh out the remainder of the first eight lines. The not so common visit from several orange/red breasted American Robins, one thoroughly washing itself “bathing plumage” in the bird bath after, I assume, feeding “on winged insects” (of which, in one brief moment, I witnessed three different varieties all at once). My own small backyard, equipped with a “gurgling fountain” is but a “toy landscape” compared to the grand estates we may dream about from time to time after having encountered one - itself, but a symbol pointing to an even greater heavenly reality. And LOVE - ah, but nothing earthly (or even imagined in our dreams) will equal the purest and undivided Love of our Lord, the angels and the saints. And finally, in the sestet, the promise is fulfilled. Baptized, we are the ‘transcendent at Tabor”, highborn indeed our “completion”is nothing less than a glorified, bodily, transfiguration where we will enjoy heart throbbing LOVE as we have never experienced it before during our earthly pilgrimage. Such is the Christian’s hope. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - Joy, joy, joy oh tripartite joy!
- Category: Love
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Comments1
Good write Gary.
The Church of England (CofE) [Protestant] in UK, has this festival in some Prayer Books.
Our patron Saint of England, St George, don't get a look in (April 23rd); nor St Valentine! Probably thinks we are fogies, and bit eccentric chaps, messing about with Saints killing dragons, so it left us out! lol.
Well they help us see how others lived during the struggles and trials of their day and yet still managed to follow Christ in a praise worthy way. I’ll have to look into the life of St George, the patron Saint of England.
Saints killing dragons you say? Of the Lucifer variety perhaps? Saint Michael the Archangel comes to mind.
Yes hope so - not killing animals! Who's that killing off those komodo dragons? we would say.
One source somewhere says St Geroge was some sort of monster, in some of his dealings. Oops!
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