Visions
The Saint in the Desert
Far from the city's busy strife,
a fugitive and cloistered virtue
or a struggle within?
Not a slayer of dragons,
but a wrestler with demons,
within and without.
How barren the desert's
rocky landscape.
How rich the Word of God
blooming like a Rose of Sharon
deep within a soul
fruitful in prayer
which moves mountains.
Saints whose written words
inspired many,
whose faithfulness
drew many close to Christ,
whose acts still smell sweet,
blossoming still,
in the dust of centuries.
This poem concerns the Christian Fathers
who fled the corruption
of the fourth century cities,
corruption in society much like our own.
They sought solitude and contemplation
in the deserts of the Near East.
Many of their writings
have been handed down to us.
a fugitive and cloistered virtue
or a struggle within?
Not a slayer of dragons,
but a wrestler with demons,
within and without.
How barren the desert's
rocky landscape.
How rich the Word of God
blooming like a Rose of Sharon
deep within a soul
fruitful in prayer
which moves mountains.
Saints whose written words
inspired many,
whose faithfulness
drew many close to Christ,
whose acts still smell sweet,
blossoming still,
in the dust of centuries.
This poem concerns the Christian Fathers
who fled the corruption
of the fourth century cities,
corruption in society much like our own.
They sought solitude and contemplation
in the deserts of the Near East.
Many of their writings
have been handed down to us.
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The Saint in the Desert
The Saint in the Desert
