Life-size St. Francis in Bronze – a poem by John Davis Jr.

Life-size St. Francis in Bronze 
Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2013 

I have reckoned with wolves. 
Snarling killers need admonition 
and an unclenched hand to grasp coarse fur 
before the calm walk into town 
for raw meat and understanding. 

I have felt songbirds’ tiny talons 
grasp my war-wearied knuckles. 
Quick, clear eyes gleam divinity 
as white-throated notes proclaim 
Gloria   Gloria   Gloria 

I have been cast by a maker 
who forged peace upon my countenance, 
who sandaled my feet in a forward step: 
permanent happy progress 
alongside His animal pilgrims. 

John Davis Jr. is the author of The Places That Hold (Eastover Press, 2021), Middle Class American Proverb (Negative Capability Press, 2014), and three other poetry collections. His poems have appeared in The Common, Nashville Review, The American Journal of Poetry, and elsewhere over the last 25 years. He holds an MFA and teaches English and Creative Writing in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida, his native state.