by Johanna Caton

is like a bridge
softly spoken,
no steel,
above a
lively tide,

is also like the tide
floating
water-beams –
like a shadow-dance
untied
on the waves,

is a dance
like the comfort
of wide shade,
mellow without drama,
light currents
all un-coerced;

it is like a fence
and your fences
are the perfect
balance
of meadow
and meaning,
glen and gift

Johanna Caton, O.S.B., is a Benedictine nun of Minster Abbey in England. Originally from Virginia, she lived in the U.S. until adulthood, when her monastic vocation took her to Britain. Her poems have appeared in both online and print publications, including The Christian Century, The Windhover, A Time of Singing, Amethyst Review, The Ekphrastic Review and the Catholic Poetry Room webpage at integratedcatholiclife.org. Some of her poems can be found at www.integratedcatholiclife.org/?s=johanna+caton