many things
fall
it is their nature
toddlers
rain
sleet
snow
tired leaves
spent petals
pine needles
and cones
feathers
feather down
waterfalls
fall
things we
clutch
in anxious
hands
and minds
how about
bright ideas
failed
and hoarded
to retry?
shall we
let them fall too
like tears
till at last
empty
or at least
less full
we fall,
and are
ready
Johanna Caton, O.S.B., is a Benedictine nun from Minster Abbey in Kent, England. Born in Virginia, she lived in the United States until adulthood, when her monastic vocation took her to England. She writes poetry as a means of understanding the work of God in her life, whose purposes and presence can be elusive until viewed through the more accommodating lens of art and poetry. Her poetry has appeared, or will appear in Green Hills Literary Lantern, Time of Singing Christian Poetry Journal, The Christian Century, and other venues. She is a 2020 Pushcart Prize nominee.