by Johanna Caton

so many of them they were like a new world 
exploding into being 

or like heaven shook itself upside down and out
flew all the angels

in every hue of green yellow reds blues oranges
wings and wings

so many they filled the skyscape left no room 
for night 

it fled kicking up its heels like wave-thunder 
everywhere 

to and fro they soared while voices blew glory 
from glory to glory 

hurry they rang hurry hurry go glory go go 
we all ran 

with the light (joy too tame a name) we ran
 into a million silences 

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, Heart of Flesh, Amethyst Review, The Ekphrastic Review, St Katherine Review, Fathom Magazine and the Catholic Poetry Room webpage at integratedcatholiclife.org.