All manner of thing
By Patrick T. Reardon
“Sin is behovely, but all shall be well, and
all shall be well, and all manner of thing
shall be well.” — Julian of Norwich
Sin fits.
Flaw fulls.
The crack welds with empty
each side.
Eve by Gislebertus
Stained priest holies.
. All well.
Blemished blessing —
tainted blood, cancered flesh.
In deep dark, light.
Death, decay, corruption,
worm and ash,
chaos, riot, terror, rampage,
pain, sorrow, the gnashing of teeth,
rotted hazelnut
— cosmos.
Patrick T. Reardon
11.5.24
This poem originally appeared in Spiritus, Fall 2024.
Written by : Patrick T. Reardon
For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.