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These posthumous poems, written both before and after Margaret Keane became Sister Marie Michael, recall Emily Dickinson’s. The poet’s passion and love of the natural world are very like the Belle of Amherst’s; only in her orthodox religious belief does she differ, but even then she has a personal, often unexpected way of expressing Catholic conviction. One is reminded of the 17th Century Metaphysical Poets. John Donne, in particular, comes to mind because of the way Margaret Keane’s life and writing moved from the secular to the sacred. Although most of her poems are love poems, the early works depict earthly love and mourn the loss of that love, whereas the later poems devote themselves to the love of God and praise His manifestation in the Holy Family, while also struggling with moments of doubt and expressing all the inner turmoil and ecstasy of the truly chosen. The “nature poems” comprising the middle section of the book are transitional, insofar as Keane found God to be present in the fauna and flora, rocks and rivers of this earthly world; she often expressed her love of nature in religious terms that again bring to mind not only Emily Dickinson but also Gerard Manley Hopkins.
Margaret Keane was born in 1909 to a large family in New Haven, Connecticut. The youngest of six siblings, she became an athlete-scholar early on, excelling both in school and in several sports, including track, tennis, and swimming. She also loved the world of nature and spent some of her happiest times as a camp counselor in Maine. In all creatures great and small she divined the presence of God. Like her older sister, she attended Arnold College, which specialized in Physical Education, and she later went on to earn M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Classics at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. In 1937 Margaret Keane entered the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery. As Sister Marie Michael, she put her scholarship, passion for music, and athletic ability to good use at a variety of schools, teaching English and foreign languages while also directing plays and coaching track teams. She was a beloved and admired mentor of students at all levels, kindergarten through college, and had a special love for the underachiever and the marginalized. Always central to her existence was the God who was the inspiration for her life and her poetry. Sister Marie Michael passed away in 1981. Click here to read samples from the book. Click here to view upcoming events. Click here to read additional material relevant to the book. |
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BOOK STATISTICS ISBN 978-1-936482-13-9 |
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