The Weekly Bulletin of the Catholic Community at The Family Foundation School
Pauca Verba (a few words)
Number 21 – April 18, 2010
Russian Easter
gold onion domes
rise
above the snow in
Kiev
about the leafless
trees
the gold
and in dark woods
the silver wolf
watches
and in the brush
blanketed
with snow the
rabbit
chews
roots
and in the church
icons
glow in candle
light
and opening lilies
scent
the air and
near
the icon of the
the Mother
holding
the child whose
show
unloosed running
from
fear
the priest whispers
to
the penitent
that
sins are seeds
from
which flowers
may grow
but only after
they
are buried
in Christ
whose wounds
after
the Resurrection
did
not disappear
but shone
more
than rubies
on
a
stole
or flowers
in snow
gold onion domes
rise
above the snow in
Kiev
under the leafless
trees
the snow
can look lemon
yellow
lavender blue and
rose.
This poem was written by a poet named Jim Janda. It appeared in “America” – a Catholic periodical for Easter in April of 1977. Do you notice how the poet uses the word “and” so often? What effect does that have? The poet doesn’t use capital letters or any punctuation except a period at the very end? Any thoughts as to why not? He also makes reference to the icon which we have in our own chapel here at school. Have you ever gone to look, to pray? There are wonderfully chosen and descriptive words that make Easter very alive; can you identify those words? Easter is celebrated in the spring: the victory of life over death, when things turn green again and there are flowers. Can you feel the winter-spring, life-over-death tension in the poem? Have you ever seen snow in real life as it is described towards the end of the poem? This poem invites meditation – perhaps especially in the center. Have you ever tried your hand at writing a poem?
