Network Of Humanity

Network of Humanity - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - When I looked at images of St Kevin I saw a blackbird sitting on his open Hand as if perennially settled And so cordially stretched out is his hand Seemingly looked to host A feathered guest in his hand as a pretty nest And the blackbird finding the soft palm Was looking unruffled, serene and calm Being curious I looked around and around Saw a man not unlike me curiously looking at his hand Asked him “what is this all about” Told me a less known story of humanity at its best That during the season of Lent St Kevin of Glendalough used to retreat To a small cell to read and pray And the cell was too small for his arms to sway One day with arms outstretched and so immersed in prayer His right arm poked out of window unaware Then a blackbird came and nestled In the palm of his hand Then she built a nest and laid an egg there Realising that the nest and egg were In his hand, St Kevin moved not an inch away Until the egg hatched and the fledgling flown away Such is the story of humanity and grace That towards a fragile egg and a tiny bird, St Kevin displays great tenderness Thus to perpetuate the memory of this compassionate act All images of St Kevin bear a blackbird sitting on his open hand like a nest Amazing it is and elicits but one response That “that just can’t be true” and carries no sense But this is not so much meant ‘to be true’ as to ‘show Truth’ For the act of humanity is beauty and ‘all-powerful Truth’ Not just his voice and thoughts turned dove St Kevin’s entire body became a prayer of love That glorified the holiness of God And His creation in an ordinary blackbird In fact we are all linked to one another Not only human to human, but human to all creatures Thus when something lands in our hand, our lap, or our life, our world We should open ourselves to being challenged, taught, and transformed So that our virtue, valour, and wit May to Humanity as Truth submit