Bees praise God
by trying to pollinate
every flower they can find,
and flowers open wide
to greet their poignant praise.
On such days the garden
is lit in a flit of dancing,
ablaze with thrumming perfection!
And God smiles and smiles
at such mindless busyness!
John Hopkins has been an English teacher for forty-two years, and was the New England
Association of Teachers of English (NEATE) Poet of the Year in 2008. His poetry has
appeared in Commonweal, Saint Anthony Messenger, The National Catholic Reporter, The Leaflet, Sr. Melannie Svoboda’s blog, Sunflower Seeds, and Father Timothy Joyce’s book Celtic Quest. For the past six years, John has been a Benedictine Oblate affiliated with Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham, Massachusetts. He loves to read, write letters, tramp the Blue Hills, and play pickleball with Kerry, his amazing wife and mother of their wonderful children: Kate, Danny, and Brian. In February 2021, John’s first book of poems, Celtic Nan, was published, and in February 2023, his second book, Make My Heart a Pomegranate, was published. John can be reached at brotherjohnnyhop@gmail.com.