Word
whirled in the wonder of creation
wrought in the wood of the cross
whispered in the wind of Pentecost
Word
filling my mouth
expanding my heart
inform and unfold me
bending, pierce me
with pointedness
and let me speak
the letters of Love
A former metropolitan New York college professor, John Lawrence Darretta holds a Ph.D. in American Literature from Fordham University. As Fulbright Professor to Italy, he taught at universities in Milan and Turin. He studied at Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin and The American Film Institute in Los Angeles. He has written articles on American literature and Italian cinema and is author of Vittorio De Sica (G. K. Hall) and Before the Sun Has Set: Retribution in the Fiction of Flannery O’Connor (Peter Lang Publishing). His poetry has appeared in America Magazine, Penwood Review, Journal of Pastoral Counseling, Haiku Journal, First Literary Review-East, The Avalon Literary Review and other venues. Nature’s Wheel, a book of his poetry, was published by Kelsay Books. He recently authored Sacred Senses in Sacred Space: A Journey into a Church (Gatekeeper Press).