[Dear Readers: In addition to this week’s poetry posting (“January” by Angela Olejnik; see below), the Poetry Room is pleased to present a special feature. This past weekend, Founding Editor of the Catholic Poetry Room Tim Bete hosted an online poetry reading with acclaimed author and poet Sally Read. If you’re unfamiliar with Ms. Read’s work, this is a wonderful introduction to a writer of unique poetic sensibility and inspiring faith. If you’re already a fan, you’ll particularly savor this collection of poems, the first since her conversion to Catholicism. Many thanks to Ms. Read for giving us this opportunity to present her work—and especially to Tim Bete for his ongoing commitment to the Catholic Poetry Room and to expanding its creative horizons.]
This week’s poem in the Catholic Poetry Room is by Angela Olejnik.
January
In the candlelight, in the morning
Sunday in January, day of rest,
the boys played guitar in the kitchen.
Doing dishes, I watched in peace,
unnoticed like a fly on the wall,
but happy to watch
in the silence of my heart.
I thought upon our times together
as a family, the lost times,
the times we’ve caught up on over the past three years,
and the times in between, like Granny’s funeral –
bittersweet. Things are starting to change;
our trees will grow.
The curtains are drawn and light is dim;
in the warmth, the guitar music and the candlelight;
tears fill my eyes, unnoticed still
but I am glad.
The beeswax candle melts into a small pool on the table –
time to get ready for Mass.
Angela Olejnik is a student working toward a degree in English Literature and History. She has been writing for the past three years but is a newcomer to the world of publishing. She reverted to the Catholic faith several years ago after a profound conversion experience and lives near Knock Shrine, County Mayo, in the west of Ireland. Her poetry can be found on Instagram under the username constellations.in.the.night.
