The Bellmaker​

Issue 17

When they look
to the skies, the spires,
to Heaven, it is
my bells that draw
 
their gaze toward God.
Every morning, the paths
are alive with parishioners
coming to feed on the homilies
 
and prayers, the body
of Christ. It is my bells
that pull them before dawn
to the pews and kneelers.
 
St. Agatha, we glorify
your memory, shape
our bells in the form
of your martyred breasts.
 
Centuries from now,
thousands will flock
to this square -
the faithful, the profane,
 
and the amazed -
to stand and simply stare.
They will marvel
at the sharp angles
 
of this cathedral, the deep
shadows and silence of the nave,
and anticipate the clear peal
of each and every bell.

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John Peter Beck, raised in a mill town on Lake Michigan in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is a recently retired professor in the labor education program at Michigan State University where he still co-directs a program that focuses on labor history and the culture of the workplace, Our Daily Work/Our Daily Lives.

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