Padraic Colum (1881–1972).  Anthology of Irish Verse.  1922. 19. The Ballad of Father Gilligan By William Butler Yeats THE old priest, Peter Gilligan, Was weary night and day; For half his flock were in their beds, Or under green sods lay. Once, while he nodded on a chair,         5 At the moth-hour of eve, Another poor man sent for him, And he began to grieve. “I have no rest, nor joy, nor peace, For people die and die”;         10 And after cried he, “God forgive! My body spake, not I!” He knelt, and leaning on the chair He prayed and fell asleep, And the moth-hour went from the fields,         15 And stars began to peep. They slowly into millions grew, And leaves shook in the wind, And God covered the world with shade, And whispered to mankind.         20 Upon the time of sparrow chirp When the moths come once more, The old priest, Peter Gilligan, Stood upright on the floor. “Mavrone, mavrone! the man has died,         25 While I slept on the chair.” He roused his horse out of its sleep, And rode with little care. He rode now as he never rode, By rocky lane and fen;         30 The sick man’s wife opened the door: “Father! you come again.” “And is the poor man dead?” he cried. “He died an hour ago.” The old priest, Peter Gilligan,         35 In grief swayed to and fro. “When you were gone, he turned and died As merry as a bird.” The old priest, Peter Gilligan, He knelt him at that word.         40 “He who hath made the night of stars For souls who tire and bleed, Sent one of His great angels down To help me in my need. “He who is wrapped in purple robes,         45 With planets in His care, Had pity on the least of things Asleep upon a chair.” P

June 9, 2018

Thought for today: 

“Some days you tame the  tiger. 

And some days the tiger has you for lunch.” 

Tug McGraw

June 9, 2018

RELICS

Even if there are no fingerprints

or indications on a rock or a piece

of wood - every pebble, every twig,

every everything - is a holy relic.

Each - whatever this is - is a relic

with a story - a chip off the old block -

and can lead us to pause, to pray,

to a sense of the sacred, to know God.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

June 8, 2018

JUDGING OTHERS

Stop judging me.

You do it all the time.

I know - because I do it too.

But you have no clue why

I like butter almond ice cream

or why I like to put cold butter

with my peanut butter on rye bread.

You don’t know the why of my why’s

and most of the time I don’t either.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

June 8, 2018 

Thought for today: 

“Boredom: the  desire  for  desires.” 

Leo Tolstoy

BOUNCE  EFFECT

Of course there is the bounce effect ….

Smiles beget smiles ….

Sound bounces off walls -

echoes in rooms and down the halls ….

Cells, microbes, germs, viruses,

squeeze against each other - as
people do in a a NYC subway car 

at 8:02 - on a going to work morning ….

Anger, screams, slamming noises

begets more and more angry noises ….

Every word - all aggression -

doesn’t just happen -

it’s loaded with the garbage barges

of nasty smells from up river ….

So let me place  these words

like a paper boat on the water

and let them float till they bounces into you ....

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018

June 7, 2018

Simply some simple music near the end of Spring.