TWO NUNS ON A BUS
Two nuns on a bus
a quiet island in the middle of a chaotic sea
I sat down beside them
a stranger in a bustling world.
One held a rosary
her finger moving over the beads with grace
The other had a worn bible open in her lap
her eyes tracing the lines of a passage I couldn't see.
The bus rattled
the world outside a blur of cars, buildings and people
but in the space of our three seats
there was a profound sense of calm.
The noise of the city faded away
replaced by the presence of the two women lost in their faith
I wasn't praying or reading
but their peace became my own.
I found a moment of stillness
a reminder that
even in the most ordinary of places
you can find a deep and unexpected peace.
Hélène
Mon 18th Aug 2025 12:01
I love this poem Naomi. I was washed in peace as I read it. My late aunt was a nun in Southern California, USA. She and her order of nuns were so wonderful and enlightened that the Catholic church couldn't handle them in the 1960's; they were de-canonized (not recognized by Rome) for quite some years, & when Rome finally liberalized & invited them back in to good standing, they respectfully declined & remained simply a spiritual Catholic community. My aunt was a calm, wise, beloved teacher at an all-girls Catholic high school. (Like Uilleam, I too was taught by nuns & I heard of some who were cruelly abusive to kids who did not tow the line.) Thanks Naomi for sharing this wonderful poem!