Revelation
Patrick T. Reardon
In the darkness,
Long John Oremus heard behind
a loud voice of the sun and moon,
and the stars of light,
and waters above the heavens.
Be still.
The dynamo prophesied,
and the tall towers, the subways
and underearth highways, earthmovers
and everlong cranes.
Be watchful.
Whisperings Long John Oremus
heard from the earth and
from all deeps, murmurs in the heights,
in the heart of snow and mist,
in the heat of fire and ice of hail.
New water.
The mountains spoke and all hills,
airliners and menu kiosks,
fruitful trees and all cedars,
unseen traffic and space capsules,
beasts and all cattle, creeping things,
rats, city pigeons, feral rabbits,
squirrels and flying fowl.
Light from light.
The breadth and the length
and the depth and the height,
Long John Oremus heard
a world of difference. Full stop.
Patrick T. Reardon
5.1.26
This poem was originally published at The Thieving Magpie, Issue 33, Spring 2026, on 3.21.26.
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/.