Cycle of Love

All man is
    Is a stalk of corn
        Nurtured in the sun
            Growing and learning how to give
                The gentle yield of the soul --
                    The golden fruit that grows within --
                        Sweet Love.

When the enemies come
    And steal away the fruit,
        They leave behind the
            Dirt-brown earth and
                The empty stalk
                    Under the weeping sun.

After they're gone,
    The seeds of Hate,
        Newly planted there,
            Begin to feed upon the stalk,
                Begin to aggrandize;
                    And in the darkened heavens
                        The Son weeps blood.

And with the blood
    Wept for Love gone,
        Man again begins to grow.
            A seedling carried by the wind
                Drops and settles,
                    Germinates.
                        Love comes home.

 -- Mary Margaret Carlisle, '61
from Aulikos, Vol. VII, ©1961
Literary Magazine of Nerinx Hall High School