Portraits of Carmel

by Anna-Marie Ney

PORTRAITS OF CARMEL

Carmel:

closeness, intimacy with the

Infinite.

God comes near,

falling flames an answered prayer.

Those with ears to hear

lament, repent, consent

to Love’s purifying blaze.

Pagan pleas transformed to praise

on this holy mountain.

Carmel:

cloister, hallowed home of hearts

rising.

Heaven, a present haven where

souls borne on wings of prayer

ascend toward eternity.

Silence, sweetness, summit.

Desire is delight;

darkness seems as light

on this holy mountain.

Carmel:

communion, two become one

flesh.

Mystery made manifest;

divine descent permits transcendence,

unity mirroring Trinity.

Leave, cleave, receive

the peace, which flows from grace,

shall futile fears erase

on this holy mountain.

ANNA-MARIE NEY

Anna-Marie Ney is a singer, writer, and contemplative soul who is passionate about sharing the goodness of God with the world through the arts. She is a lifelong bibliophile and lover of literature, who finds her fictional home in the writings of Lucy Maud Montgomery, Jane Austen, and Louisa May Alcott. Anna-Marie and her husband host retreats, run Christian ministries, and cultivate community on the west coast of Canada. They write about the good, true, and beautiful in their lives on their Substack, A & B Ney.