Author: Michael J. Cunningham
The Doors Blow Open
The doors blew open,
Freeing the message;
And a messenger.
To do what is required.
The Hidden Bridge
Disguised in the forest,
Like a creature of God,
The bridge blends into the background of the day,
Hidden from view, not intending to avoid you,
But rather showing its availability.
If we care to stop and gaze.
Welcome
Sometimes the welcome is so broad,
So wide,
So deep,
So loud,
So absolutely wondrous.
All we can see is where the gate once was;
And that it was closed.
The Chapel Arises
From the foothills, a chapel arises,
Overlooking a city of Angels,
Waiting,
Not patiently;
For nourishment of the soul.
The Annunciation
By Henry Ossawa Tanner
Living Water
The Invitation
Hummingbirds and lizards move in the cool afternoon sunshine,
Each seeking food in the tranquil gardens.
An ocean breeze, barely felt, yet just enough to cool,
Touches the faces of those wandering the grounds,
Looking for self, and God, in alternate moments.
Only to be discovered they are one,
In this paradise they call Mater Dolorosa.
Pleasure Island
Here she comes again,
On the horizon, I see the sun rising,
Fog lifting and the breeze picking up.
All beckoning the course of my desire.
Pleasure Island again.
I can never pass you by.
Happiness Revisited
On its way, a moment of pleasure surges once again,
A delightful stimulus,
Immediate in feeling,
Difficult to suppress, as if I might want to?
Yet, she visits often,
Sometimes with a longer pathway ahead.
Happiness.
The Monastery Within 
