Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A PRIEST'S PRAYER by MARTHA GILBERT DICKINSON

First Line: OVER THE DIM CONFESSIONAL CRIED
Last Line: "KISS ME, JESSICA! ONCE FOR ALL."
OVER the dim confessional cried
Father Amatus, -- cloistered young, --
Dropping his rosary by his side,
Careless where his crucifix swung:

"I have been priest since -- an endless when !
Sat by the living, consoled the dead,
Fasted and prayed for women and men,
Fed the poor with my daily bread.

"The wind blows cold, -- how the snowflakes creep!
I will sin one sin, ere past recall,
Lest life should faint in this pallid sleep:
Kiss me, Jessica! Once for all."



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