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Peter Whisenant's avatar

I don't know who Father Seraphim Rose is--I gather from the text he is a religious figure of some note in your part of California? Considering my ignorance, I am sure there is much I am missing in my reading of this majestic poem. What strikes me is the masculine vigor of the language, its almost hermetic strength. Read blindly, not knowing anything about the author, I could say with absolute confidence it was composed by a man. Less confidently, I would guess it was the work of someone of the Orthodox faith, rather than a Catholic (and certainly no Protestant). It has the militant, aggressive tone of some of Robert Lowell's religious works, too. In any event, I am glad to have come across it.

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Evelyn Mow's avatar

This was incredible! The reference to Keats and the word "verdurous" against this harsh desert background gave me the chills. I will have to give it another read (a few more!) I just looked at Father Seraphim Rose' wiki page-- really intriguing. Thanks for sharing this.

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