A Poem by Fran Salone-Pelletier

The Unclaimed Treasure

It seemed a gifted move
to quit and feel assured
departure’s advent
is arrival’s gain
or so it seemed
the ache of being invisible
now replaced
with sight unseen
a novel ignorance
pandemic yet permissible
when challenge becomes
too much to bear
too loud to hear
sorrowing all sweetness
until the call to quit
is louder than
the claim to commit
truth sadly becomes
the unclaimed treasure
of life lived deeply
where death never quits
nor wins
and conscience never ceases
to object

Fran Salone-Pelletier has a master’s degree in theology and is the author of Awakening to God: The Sunday Readings in Our Lives (a trilogy of scriptural meditations), lead volunteer chaplain at Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center, religious educator, retreat leader, lecturer, and grandmother of four. She can be reached at hope5@atmc.net.