Aaron Raverty, OSB SOT ’77

The vultures and the lilacs
Come wafting through the air;
One in fragrance, one on wing,
Such an unlikely pair!

Both gifts of God’s creation,
The sweetness and the foul;
A fitting meditation
For one who dons the cowl.

Mute abbey vultures soaring
Above the Breuer church;
Are their wills bent—
their sole intent—
God’s fortress to besmirch?

Thick scents the air enslaving,
In white and purple hue;
Unlike the windswept vultures,
The lilacs mirth renew.

The vultures and the lilacs—
So how do they compare?
If judged aright
They both alight—
On senses mortals bear.

—

20 May 2007