One Evening in Rome

Posted by Jeffrey Essmann | Jan 22, 2025 | Poetry |

This week’s poem in the Catholic Poetry Room is by Father Gerard Garrigan, OSB.

One Evening in Rome

A dove cooed
The bells chimed
Police sounded sirens
Two creatures there, though,
Made no sound
One bat in flitting orbit
One monk quite, quite still
Each intently occupied
Pursuing his respective goal
One at seeking supper
The other seeking God
One evening in Rome

Father Gerard Garrigan, OSB, is a Benedictine monk of Saint Louis Abbey.

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About The Author

Jeffrey Essmann

To submit poetry to be considered for the Catholic Poetry Room, visit our submission guidelines page. Jeffrey Essmann is Poetry Editor for IntegratedCatholicLife.org and always searching for the best Catholic poetry from today's poets as well as those of the past. Jeffrey is an essayist and poet living in New York. His work has appeared in numerous magazines and literary journals, among them America Magazine, Dappled Things, the St. Austin Review, Pensive, Agape Review, Edge of Faith, Grand Little Things, and The Road Not Taken. He is a Benedictine oblate of Mt. Saviour Monastery and a certified Catechist in the Archdiocese of New York.