Words Which Grow into Me
Dear Friends,
Did you Pope John Paul II wrote poetry? I just finished reading The Place Within: The Poetry of Pope John Paul II translated by Jerzy Peterkiewicz (New York: Random House, 1982). JPII was a mystic, so his poetry is rather abstract. The following poem is on page 42 and called “Words Which Grown into Me.” I think it is Mary reflecting on the infant Jesus either just before or just after His birth.
Thought breaks from spoken words
and from the face, shadows falling from high walls.
People are uplifted: only yesterday
echoes of changes far and near
The first moment of amazement
which witnessed you, Son of my love,
shut me out
This moment deepens still,
transforming my whole life,
and breaks, a drop of pure wax
before fading eyes.
This moment, a whole life experienced in the word
since it became my body, was nourished by my blood,
was carried in elation —
rising in my heart, as the New Man, quietly,
when thought was held in wonder and the daily toil of hands.
This high moment is fresh again
because it rediscovers you —
only the eyelashes, the drop
where once light from eyes melted in cold air,
is no more.
Overwhelming exhaustion instead
has found its light and its meaning.
Merry Christmas, Friends! May the Christ Child reside in your hearts!
Debora
