When looking through the Sisters’ creative works, I could not help but be drawn to the poetry of Sr. Joan Metzner. What started as a simple search began to encompass more time, as I looked ahead and suddenly remembered how prolific she was as a writer of poetry and reflections. I can’t say that I minded getting lost in her words, the images they created, and the feelings they evoked!
Here are two poems that struck me today. May they allow you to hear a voice in the beauty of silence and remember and cherish the people who have touched your lives, for a moment or a lifetime.
Psalms Out of Silence: The Voice For God
The groaning earth
the shimmering stars
the silent skies
hint at Your mystery, O God.
Playful bantering friends
Irresistible charming children
experienced, wise elders
reveal your winsomeness, O God.
Our world speaks of separation,
insane separation.
Yet if I give ear, I will hear
the Voice for God
rustling in the leaves
stirring in the breeze
breathing in the seas
playfully teasing my mind
gently seizing my heart
in a miracle of communion
Presence
Some people enter our lives
like deer
slipping in and out
of the woods.
They touch our earth
and as we stop
to look at them
they disappear as quickly
as they came
But you feel blessed
for having experienced
their gentle presence
And you give thanks
that the world
is a better place
because of the joy
they brought.
Sr. Joan Metzner
Photo Credits: Stephanie Conning, archivist
