Plainsong

                      
	
O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Hear me at this altar of God.
Direct my soul toward the Host
Lest the life of this fool tests a rod. 

To the joy of my youth I go.
Deliver me, O Lord, to Thy cause
For Thou art my strength: This I know
When I labor to liberate Thy Laws. 

This day, and all, I’m Thy Son:
The Lord proclaimed the decree,
Not my will, but Thine be done.
This vow shall be paid to Thee. 

The Kyrie chant melody
Does set my soul on fire
Perpetual light so I might see
By the flame of my funeral pyre. 

I offer my prayers for the dead.
Receive, in behalf of each soul,
My sacrifices – and my dread
When Michael calls Thy roll.

Deliver me from the pains of hell, 
And from the mouth of the lion.
Let the sobering sound of the Sanctus bell
Help guide this knight toward Zion.

Hear the bell ringing?  It peals 
Three times with invitation
To every troubled soul who kneels
Petitioning for salvation. 

Come! Fill my soul with Bread, and Wine
Still flowing from above.
Creator-Spirit, all-Divine,
I receive Thy gift of love. 

The Curator’s Notes: This poem is a spiritual autobiography in liturgical form. By structuring her prayer around the Mass, the poet positions her entire life and approaching death within the context of Christ’s sacrifice. She’s not just attending Mass—she’s living it, dying it. Death is explicitly present. Unlike some of the other poems where mortality is implied, here she directly references her “funeral pyre,” prayers for the dead, and deliverance from hell’s pains. She knows this collection might be her last major creative/spiritual work. The Mass as lens: For traditional Catholics, the Mass is the source and summit of faith—the past (Calvary), present (this moment), and future (heavenly banquet) all collapsed into one reality. By structuring her prologue this way, she’s saying: everything in this collection should be understood through the lens of the Mass, through Christ’s sacrifice and our participation in it. Fear and faith together: She doesn’t hide her “dread” or her need for deliverance from hell. There’s no presumption of automatic salvation—just honest petition for mercy and grace. The knight imagery returns: She continues seeing herself as a spiritual knight (from “Rhythm of the Rite”) being guided toward Zion. Even in weakness and approaching death, there’s dignity and purpose. Personal Context This prologue reads as her statement of faith at the threshold of death. It’s not triumphal—it’s hopeful but honest about fear. It’s a woman preparing to meet God, asking for strength and mercy, and framing her entire life and poetic offering within the liturgy that sustained her. The fact that she chose the traditional Latin Mass structure (not the vernacular post-Vatican II Mass) reflects her deep connection to ancient Catholic tradition and liturgy—the “plainsong” of centuries of faithful. This sets the tone for everything that follows: these poems are offerings at the altar, prayers from someone walking consciously toward death while trying to practice the fruits of the Spirit in whatever time remains.