In the Kitchen

('In the sixth month the angel Gabriel...' -Luke 1:26) 

Bellini has it wrong, 
I was not kneeling 
on my satin cushion, 
in a beam of light,
head slightly bent.

Painters always 
skew the scene, 
as though my life 
were wrapped in silks, 
in temple smells.

Actually, I had just 
come back from the well, 
placing the pitcher on the table 
I bumped against the edge, 
spilling water on the floor.

As I bent to wipe 
it up, there was a light 
against the kitchen wall, 
as though someone had opened 
the door to the sun.

Rag in hand, 
hair across my face, 
I turned to see 
who was entering, 
unannounced, unasked.

All I saw 
was light 
white against the timbers. 
A voice I've never 
heard greeted me,

said I was elected, would 
bear a son who'd reign 
forever. The spirit would 
overshadow me.
I stood afraid. 

Someone closed the door
and I dropped the rag.

-- Fr. Kilian McDonnell, OSB (1921- ), American monk, poet, and theologian at St. John's Abbey

Relevant Scripture: Luke 1:26-38