A poem by Jessica Powers (Carmelite Sr. Miriam of the Holy Spirit). based upon Isaiah 58:12 (Douay)

And the places that have been desolate for ages shall be built in thee: thou shalt raise up the foundation of generation and generation: and thou shalt be called the repairer of the fences, turning the paths into rest.

I am alone in the dark, and I am thinking

what darkness would be mine if I could see

the ruin I wrought in every place I wandered

and if I could not be

aware of One who follows after me.

Whom do I love, O God, when I love Thee?

The great Undoer who has torn apart

the wall I built against a human heart,

the Mender who has sewn together the hedges

through which I broke when I went seeking ill,

the Love who follows and forgives me still.

Fumbler and fool that I am, with things around me

of fragile make like souls, how I am blessed

to hear behind me footsteps of a Savior!

I sing to the east; I sing to the west;

God is my repairer of fences, turning my paths into rest.