Nun Other (Poetry)

I could not be a nun
I do not have the discipline
to wake in darkness
go to chapel
stand in line and chant
then pray and pray
and pray some more

I’d like a life of such seclusion —
the silence guaranteed
and all that time to think
on matters of the soul —
the whys and wherefores
of existence

I yearn for life made simple —
freed from stress
and uncomplicated by
such empty pressures
modern style dictates

But no god would ever choose me
for his acolyte
or bride to do his bidding —
a servant with no mind
of her own

Besides, the want of sisters
is a need I’ve never known
except in passing —
a faint wonder
at the bond that binds so tightly
or not at all
depending on blood or faith — and
I have neither
so do not qualify

Best then I live alone —
make out I’m not at home
when the world comes knocking
A hermit in her bubble
cocooned from fear and trouble —
a recluse
nun other
than herself