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