“I consecrate you to a great novitiate in the world.”
-Father Zosima to Alyosha in The Brothers Karamazov
The monastery gate opens easily If it really needs opening at all The road outside also leads somewhere else But then it just as often leads back again
The distance measured by a crucifix Where a weary traveler can pray awhile Or maybe Harry Bailey’s 1 hamburger joint A cup of coffee and a cigarette
Offered by a pilgrim in the neon night - The monastery gate opens easily