on st. henry walpole’s martyrdom
beauty in itself is a useless thing
like the lilies of a summer’s field
or the light of a winter’s moon
useless, too, was your priesthood
toward the salvation of even one english soul
yet such beauty was not lost
after the seeds of your severed body were buried
for they burst forth,
and bloomed
with more than all of solomon’s glory
Sr. Lou Ella Hickman
