God Bless The Tranquil, The Serene Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

to St. Francis of Assisi

God bless the tranquil, the serene

those who do not raise false alarms

and stir the hornets nest of worry, of uncertainty

of casual gossip

who say when they arise I live to serve

the King of Peace, to bear witness

to the starlight in darkness

to the cooling breeze in the desert

to the sunrise in the storm

to that which is living

to that which is born

that stems from

a green and transcendent branch

ever branching

the skies overhead unbroken by turmoil

the sea in its seabed resting, down to the small creamed wave

the small animals in their forest haunts

barely stirring among the moonlit ferns-

in the shadows

the Child in his mother's arms.

mary angela douglas 5 july 2023