Litany for the Ordinary (Article 85)
Irene Zimmerman

Mary, queen of the ordinary--
queen of spinning wheel and loom
who wove from ordinary stuff
the flawless fabric of
God's humanness;
queen whose pregnancy
put Joseph's other plans aside
and sent his saw singing
into cradlewood;
queen of water jars daily filled,
of swaddling clothes spread outdoors
to dry, of scrubbed floors
and everlastingly sawdusty son;
queen of skinned knees,
splintered fingers,
aching stomach, fevered head,
herbal teas;
queen of fresh-baked bread
whose wheaty power
put flesh on growing boy
and joy at evening meal--
Mary, queen of ordinary time and space,
thank you for your ordinary grace.