in this season
i sigh
as winter falls
into snow at evening
morning a clean sky
but oh, the nights…

then
i dream
as spring breathes
into afternoons that bloom
everything green…

when
i sing
as summer flows
into a molten sun
lingering at dusk
among purple clouds…

at last
i whisper
as autumn shuffles
into tipsy among dry leaves
later sidewalks cool after rain…

i live
as each cycle circles
into the sand of my hourglass…

Sister Lou Ella Hickman, OVISS, has a master’s in theology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and is a former teacher and librarian. She is a certified spiritual director as well as a poet and writer. Her poems have appeared in numerous magazines such as America, US Catholic, Commonweal, The Christian Century, Presence, Prism, and several anthologies. She was a Pushcart nominee in 2017 and 2020. Five poems from her book, she: robed and words, set to music by James Lee III were performed on May 11, 2021 as part of a concert held at Y92 in New York City. The group of songs is entitled “Chavah’s Daughters Speak.” Another concert was held in Cleveland, Ohio on March 28, 2023.