The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia

I view with calm
The far horizon  your love—
Reflecting jewel-like
The brilliance of a God’s great love
Or shrouded grey
With god-love’s hidden mystery.

But closer come
Your love roars
Wild and harsh;
High-rolling waves that threaten to subdue and overwhelm
My feeble self.

And closer still
Your love laps gently at my shore of being
And my timid heart
Like skittish gulls
Scurries to move beyond
The ever-widening circles of your love—
A love that finds at last
The arid sand
That is my heart.