Poems Before First Confession
April 3,2015
Photo by Alexander Nachev on Unsplash
I remember the scent of that Easter Vigil.
Coals from the fire Deacon Bob tended
ignited incense in the Ave Maria Courtyard.
We Candidates processed into the Sanctuary,
sat near the front. As Father Cook incensed the
altar, I felt like a nervous four-year old. The
evening’s highlight—our first Communion—
brought angels in candle glow. Then kneeling,
my sponsor & I sobbed as she held me in her
arms like Mother Mary. The service lasted three
hours. Becoming Catholic bears the joy of
Chrism oil. April 3, 2015, I finally was home.
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About the Author
A former English teacher, Helen Losse is the author of ten collections of poetry, including A Flower More Enduring (Main Street Rag, 2021). Her poems have been anthologized in Literary Trails of the North Carolina Piedmont, The Southern Poetry Anthology, Volume VII: North Carolina, and Kakalak 2014, nominated for a Pushcart Prize and for a Best of the Net award. She is Poetry Editor Emeritus for The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature and a former Associate Poetry Editor for Kentucky Review. She is married and has two grown sons. A Christian her entire life, Helen entered the Catholic Church on Holy Saturday in 2015 to grow closer to Jesus.
Social Media links:
Blog: Windows Toward the World https://helenl.wordpress.com/
FB: https: https://www.facebook.com/HelenLosse/
MSR Bookstore: https://mainstreetragbookstore.com/product-tag/helen-losse/
