words
lists
scraps
notes
thoughts
ideas
feelings
a surprise poem
The best part of teaching literature is discovering new favorite poets. Here’s an excerpt from Gates and Other Poems by Sister M. Madeleva Wolff, C.S.C. You might recognize her name; she served as president of St. Mary’s College in South Bend in the early part of the 20th century.
Fare infinitely well,
You who have valorously dared
This last, unshared
Unending and all-perfect quest;
You who at length can tell
The things God has prepared
Are best,
Are best.
Interlude
Something about the half-lit space
invites silence. Sacred and calm.
Sunlight, muted through treated windows,
still manages to splash into the scene —
its sepia-colored tint adding depth
to a landscape filled with shadows.
The silence, at home, speaks
to the darkened corners as
the expanding light blankets
everything with its warmth.