WAITING, TREMBLING

6th Century Eucharist Chalice From Antioch
Courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art

EUCHARISTEO, A POEM

(Greek for Grateful Thanksgiving)

The mystery of death leads to

The Mystery of Life

Answered in Christ rising:

Silence in Heaven,

Wings folded, faces covered,

Extreme humility crushing

serpent pride.

Eden's locked gate opened,

Waiting for denoument 

Of the sons of God.

Man rushing, but to where?

Narrow or wide the bed I lie in,

When I wander, hedge me

So that I may

Strip off self,

Put on Thee

So to rise,

Falling Feetward,

Bowing Godward,

Adoration filling soul.

Filled, now overflowing

Eucharisteo is my song;

Kaleidoscope of Glory

'Gash gold-vermillion'*

Over all Creation

That is

Waiting,

Trembling,

For the promised Face-to-face.

   Michèle Elizabeth Crawford

                                           June 15, 2011

                                      *    From “The Windhover” by

                                                               Gerard Manley Hopkins