When the wolf moon grows fat
and the North wind roars on the shore,
an angel shall feed your fire
and bolt your door.

When the clean spring moon rises,
an angel, unheard and unseen,
shall clean your seven springs
and keep them clean.

When the sap moon draws sap
upwards from bulb and root,
an angel gardener shall guard
each new green shoot.

When the grass moon makes grasses
nod to each other in bloom,
an angel in white shall greet you
at Christ’s bright tomb.

When the planting moon mirrors
her face in the cold-frame glass,
an angel shall breathe at your seedlings
till all frosts pass.

When the rose moon blooms
in the sky like a silver-wrought rose,
an angel shall show you a rose garden
no one else knows.

When a frolicsome angel
rolls the hay moon over the hill,
you shall dance with the deer in the dark
while time stands still.

When the green corn moon glides
through the ripening corn, row by row,
an angel shall make swelling spikes
sweet as they grow.

When the harvest moon lantern
hangs golden and plump in the sky,
you shall hear an angels scythe zing.
You won’t ask why.

When the hunter’s moon races
black clouds like a galloping prince,
an angel shall draw his bow,
yet, you won’t wince.

When the frosty moon blinds
every pond with a thin film of white,
peeling scales from your eyes,
an angel shall heal your sight.

When the long night moon wanes
and the darkness keeps deepening fast,
an angel shall forge from your fears
faith that will last.

First published in Desert Call, (Winter 1987)


Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB
Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB

Brother David Steindl-Rast — author, scholar, and Benedictine monk — is beloved the world over for his enduring message about gratefulness as the true source of lasting happiness. Known to many as the “grandfather of gratitude,” Br. David has been a source of inspiration and spiritual friendship to countless leaders and luminaries around the world including Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Thomas Merton, and more. He has been one of the most important figures in the modern interfaith dialogue movement, and has taught with thought-leaders such as Eckhart Tolle, Jack Kornfield, and Roshi Joan Halifax. His wisdom has been featured in recent interviews with Oprah Winfrey, Krista Tippett, and Tami Simon and his TED talk has been viewed almost 10,000,000 times. Learn more about Br. David here.

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Br. David Steindl-Rast
Poetry