The Hymns of the Earth, Poem by St. Catherine of Siena
“I wanted to be a hermit and only hear the hymns
of the earth, and the laughter of the sky,
and the sweet gossip of the creatures on my limbs,
the forests.
I wanted to be a hermit and not see another face
Look upon mine and tell me I was not
all the beauty in this
world.
For so many faces do that –-
cage us.
The wings we have are so fragile
they can break from just
one word, or
a glance void
of love.
I wanted to live in that cloister of
light’s silence
because, is it not true, the heart
is so fragile and shy.”