
Aaron Raverty, OSB SOT ’77
(he/him/his)
Collegeville, Minnesota
Vultures and Lilacs
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