I was needing a little first-week-of-school pick-me-up, so I thumbed through my favorite book of poems and came across, of course, one of my favorite poems. It makes me smile to think of an old monk laughing with a squirrel on a park bench or something. So simple.
I once spoke to my friend, an old squirrel, about the sacraments--
he got so excited
and ran into a hollow in his tree
and came back holding some acorns, an owl feather,
and a ribbon he had found.
And I just smiled and said, "Yes, dear,
you understand:
everything imparts
His grace."