Sister Ann Quigley, a retired educator who ministered with the Apache people on the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona for nearly 20 years, kicks off our National Poetry Month series with two poems. About “Dance of Trust,” she says, “I am not, nor have I ever been a dancer. The awkwardness of my struggles to trust God reminds me of the struggle to learn dance steps.”
Regarding “The Cello,” she notes, “I played the cello in high school and have always appreciated the range of mellow and moving sounds it produces. God arouses those same feelings in me.”
Dance of Trust
By Sister Ann Quigley
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Summoned to be Your partner
awed that I was chosen
with apprehension,
I extend my quivering hand
As I stumble through unknown steps
You smile encouragement,
and I begin to hope.
With each misstep I make
You draw me closer.
The blush of awkwardness comes between us.
The steadiness of Your hand lifts my confidence,
and I begin to believe.
When I seem to catch the rhythm,
You add steps I cannot follow.
I draw apart afraid to try.
Teasingly, You wait and start again
guiding me back into familiar patterns.
Whispering assurance, that You will always guide me,
and I begin to trust.
The Cello
By Sister Ann Quigley
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Your voice is heard
and the inner fiber of my being
vibrates with anticipated quivering
a passionate thirst arises
a deep yearning trembles
through me.
Your gentle bowed touch
glides across the strings of my heart
drawing resonant
chords of harmony
that seep into the very breadth
of my being.
Firm fingers play upon my emotions
evoking waves of both flight
and abandonment
the crescendo ache draws me
to surrender to the melody
within me.
And I know that I am loved.