Like bells of Rivendell ring (They sing! They sing!),
Her song, it summons hungry hearts to hear.
Harken your ear. A sudden goldfinch rings
With songs of grace — its piercing love and care.
Harken! I say. She can’t stay long. She must
Move quick. Her wings are fire. From tree to leaf
They spread life to the dead. A holy thrust . . .
Then shrill! The Wraith is cut with wit. And grief,
The grief of fledglings, flees like dispersed chaff
In winds so fair, so fast they free, at last,
The burdened hearts. Now in mirth, we all laugh,
‘The bird’s moved on.’ (We remember the past.)
Her first and final note, a lasting song.
With Angelus toll, the Teacher calls — Carry on!

Donald W. Catchings, Jr. is co-founder of publishing company, Inkwell and Pen, LLC. Also, Donald holds a Master of Arts in Apologetics from Houston Baptist University. Donald regularly contributes to An Unexpected Journal and has numerous published works, including Joy Through a Wardrobe — a poetic companion to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Citation Information
Donald W. Catchings, Jr, “Carry On’,” An Unexpected Journal: The Imaginative Harvest of Holly Ordway 4, no. 4. (Advent 2021), 203-04.
Direct Link: https://anunexpectedjournal.com/carry-on/