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REDEMPTIVE SUFFERING
The worn rosary held in old dated hands . . . .
She fingered prayer beads with gnarled hands,
Long suffering prayers intoned rhythmically,
Fervent thanks given for redemptive suffering,
While I with no need of a God to meet this end
My insanity artfully sufficient in its own right
To create such pain whether redemptive or not . . . .
Notwithstanding the rational analysis,
I was not unmoved by the devout ritual.
You did a brilliant job of
You did a brilliant job of describing exactly the experience of ritual, the ambivalent feelings of appreciation for it and the unnecessary tedium, which life gives us abundantly regardless. Masterfully expressed and rich with more meaning under the surface, which takes skill and immagination.