Call of the Dove

 
The Dove is a nun,  [i]  
small, thin, old, in habit,  [ii]  
white face, and gray eyes searching
from the lectern reading the Word.
 
The Beloved is a congregation
present and absent
unsorted, excepted by pews
an orderly scramble of minds and ears
 
And the Song is a mystery
hovering in the air
as the Spirit sings to His Body,
“Come to me, my beloved.”
 
(2010s) 
 

[i]   from the lectern reading the Word:  –   Song of Solomon 2:14: 

    “My dove in the clefts of the rock,
      in the secret recesses of the cliff,
      Let me see your face,
      let me hear your voice,
      For your voice is sweet,
      and your face is lovely.”

[ii]  “Religious Habit”.  Wikipedia.org. {https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_habit}  (accessed December 1, 2021).  –   “In Christian monastic orders the habit … may be a distinctive form of cassock for men, or a distinctive habit and veil for women.”