Retreat in the Melting Snow, 2013

By Ilse Kramer

Could it be that
All of the pebbles and stones
By the road and the river,
At beaches and quarries
Had fallen from stars in the sky,
Are part if the heavens?

Gray ones perhaps from Orion,
Sirius pink, Jupiter green,
Yellow the Evening Star,
And blue from the Milky Way.

Let us gather the stones,
Hold them in our hands,
Caress them with our eyes.
Let us make a mosaic.

Let me have yours,
You can have mine.
Let us gaze at the stones
And see how they shine.

This poem was written for the 2013 Women’s Retreat by Central’s Poet Laureate, Ilse Kramer. The work was read by the Reverend Claudia Demick at the beginning of a communion service held in an old barn. The theme of the retreat was “Living Stones” and more images of the weekend can be found in our photo gallery.