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Poem: “The Invitation”

by on Oct 27, 2011 in Poetry
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The Invitation

When I see the blazing of the redbud tree,
The tulips filled with ruby and with ivory,
The sunlight poured with lavishness inside and out,
A moment then suspended is our churlish doubt,
The naming for the banquet given out by One
Who sets the goblets for us and pours out the sun

How soon these moments of perception dull and fade,
The redbud candelabrum had been never made,
The tulips never planted and the sun ungiven,
Returned in spectral disappearance to its prism,
And that uprising, taken back and unsurprised,
Returned by some unholy magic to the eyes

Do not yet withdraw the invitation, Master,
For we are slow by lack of trust and loathe to answer

Pavel
April 14, 2011


Pavel Chichikov is a Washington DC-based poet and photographer. He has written for both the secular and the Catholic press on issues as diverse as Russian nuclear weapons systems, Olympic athletes, and miracles. His books include From Here to Babylon: Poems by Pavel Chichikov,  Lion Sun: Poems by Pavel Chichikov, Mysteries and Stations in the Manner of Ignatius, and Animal Kingdom. Pavel may be heard reading his works on catholicradiointernational.com and on pavelreads.com. His poetry regularly appears on "The Poetry of Pavel Chichikov."