"silentio" poems
Aurora borealis,
aurora australis.
Mare nostrum,
sub silentio,
sub secreto,
ad libitur,
as infinitum.
Ira furor brevis est,
amor suo iure.
Memento vivere,
in dubio,
in dolorosa,
in posse,
in nubibus,
in pace,
in spiritu et veritate,
in pleno,
nvne avt nvnquam,
ad vitam aeternam.
Jul 5, 2010
Jul 5, 2010 at 1:28 AM UTC
And the silence
of the abbey church
overwhelmed me
and that solitary monk
sitting in the choir stalls
alone in semi-dark praying,
Dei silentium coram Deo,
that time in the latrines
in the abbey
late evening
looking out a window
towards the harbour
with lights of ships
and houses and cafes
and me there solitary
looking homewards,
luminaria in mundo,
and Hugh talking about
someone walking past
his door noisily
in morning time
thinking it me
but I went
another way
and told him,
nella preghiera
tocchiamo Dio
the Italian monk
said to me
as we stood
in the cloister
before Vespers,
Dom Leo by the bell ropes
in the cloister
outside the refectory
saying farewell
then off to Rome
and shook hands,
and that French monk said
jamais perdu dans
l'amour de Dieu
and he was tall
and seemed in another world,
I felt the rough brickwork
as I walked past
the statue of the Madonna
my fingers sensed it
at the tips,
she had undressed
and said have me
before my husband comes
so I did,
możesz mieć mnie tutaj
that Polish girl said
*** she meant
but it was an old guy's
bedroom so I declined,
be ready to do battle
under the biddings
of holy obedience
Benedict said
(the saint),
a philosopher
who takes no part
in discussions
is like a boxer
who never goes
into the ring
said Gareth
quoting Wittgenstein,
in silentio et lumen
Dom Joe(dear Bunny) said
God is found
and we walked down
the path from
the shore to the cloister
beneath trees
and that silent
from the shore breeze.
May 19, 2016
May 19, 2016 at 1:53 AM UTC
The cloister garth exploded
in afternoon sunlight,
post meridiem solis
the lone mulberry tree
the only shelter or shade
where monks gathered
for tea and cake,
luce disperde
le tenebre
an Italian monk said
as I sipped tea
he eyeing me,
light dispersing darkness
I mused seeing
Dom James pass by
he smiling
carrying his cup
and saucer to Dom Bede,
l'obscurité empiète
où la foi échoue
the French monk muttered
next to the other
I said nothing
but mused on his words
where faith fails
darkness encroaches,
cloister bell tolled
conversations ceased
the monks went their way
to task or prayer
or contemplation
I helped push the trolley
with the large teapot
and cups and such
to the abbey kitchen
Dom Patrick worked in silence,
in silentio est
verbum Dei,
God's word in silence
an old monk had
told me once
white bearded
tonsured of head
God speaks in silence
he said.
Dec 31, 2016
Dec 31, 2016 at 11:17 AM UTC
Off a room of the cloisters
I met Dom Andrew
bookbinding in silence
bearded and white cowled,
in silentio sit Deus,
Mancunian he said
saw picture in book
of monastic cell
and that were it,
I sensed the coldness
of the room
body shivered
ears felt pained,
il avait de la neige à l'extérieur
the French monk said
huddled in his black habit,
saw the snow on trees
and purity of it,
she took my hand
warm it was
and promised ***
Dom Charles tonsured
dark haired gazed at me
through thick lens glasses
eyes like ***** holes
in snow,
I have been all things unholy
and if God can work
through me Francis said
he can work through anyone,
I mowed the grass by the church
and Dom Frederick said
you've done well,
qui tutto sono fratelli
the Italian monk said
as he helped me dry up
the dishes,
beyond her dark hairs
lay the Kingdom of Eve
and joyousness,
bell tolled in the bell tower
by George or Hugh
or both for Terce,
a monk read in the refectory
from a book on Oliver Cromwell
as we sat and ate in silence,
bonitátem fecísti
*** servo tuo Dómine,
the old monk opposite
ate with gusto
spooned food as if
he may never eat again,
nog steeds sneeuw buiten
the Danish monk told me
coming in with vegetables
from the garden for lunch,
indeed snow still there
trees covered and fields
that I saw,
if you want to you can
she said so I did,
Dom Bruno said later
that Dom Andrew had cancer
and was silent on it,
Deus meus libera me,
and we licked our cutlery clean
between meals and put away
under our tables
in a large napkin
and George said unhygenic
but we did,
there is no great genius
without some touch of madness
Gareth said quoting Aristotle,
sunlight on flagstones
in the church
warmed by midday,
Compline bell told
of the end of day.
Jan 21, 2016
Jan 21, 2016 at 2:41 AM UTC
Semi light
in the abbey church
red light altar end
a lone monk
in silent prayer,
in silentio
Dei loquitur,
I climbed the stairs
to the passageway
to my cell
the Grand Silence in force
after Compline
until after Mass
and wanted to speak
to someone but couldn't,
di dubbio è l'opposto
della fede
the Italian monk said
as we worked
in the abbey library,
Mrs Shepherd wanted me
to kiss her inner thighs
so I did
as she asked,
to fall in love with God
said Augustine of Hippo
is the greatest romance,
shall I make the grade?
said George in the cloister garth
after the office of None
as we sipped tea
and ate cake
I feel the cold so much
I said I thought
he would but he
left soon after,
ouvrir votre cœur
à Dieu the French monk
said to me
as I helped him
in the abbey gardens
selecting vegetables
for lunch,
she kissed me once alone
in the castle when other
visitors went off
with the guide
to the next room
warm lips
maybe tongue,
wenn Sie zweifeln
was dann ?
the Austrian monk said
to doubt is to think
I said
I think therefore,
except our own thoughts
said Gareth quoting Descartes
there is nothing
absolutely in our power,
I tolled the bell-tower bell
for the Angelus
and the angel said unto Mary
and the sound reached out
to ears and hearts,
Dom James was desperate
for a smoke but did not
yield to it but pretended
a cigarette between fingers
and exhaled
cold morning air
and I know
I stood there.
Jun 20, 2016
Jun 20, 2016 at 1:14 AM UTC