MOTOR PROPRIO
By Meredith Lehmann
Troutville, Virginia

Three Catholic men approached a field,
Where they saw rusting away
Next to a fence, under a tree,
An abandoned Chevrolet.

The men who stood there each saw meaning
In this dismal sight.
All three men held different views,
And each knew that his was right.

The first man to observe the car
Was repulsed by the dust and grime.
He thought everything old was useless--
He loved the New Springtime.

"The car resembles the Old Mass,"
He said with frank disgust,
"Smeared with traditional corrosion
And liturgical rust."

The second man who tood in the scene
Viewed it in despair,
For though his tradition was intact,
He maintained a Vacant Chair.

"This car is like the Church," he said,
"Abandoned by its Guide.
And, like the Barque of Peter,
No driver is inside."

The third man to perceive the car
Observed its state with hope.
He knew the Church could be repaired
By a strong and holy pope.

"This car is like Tradition," he said,
"Left in the field to rot
By the Second Vatican Council
And the confusion that it wrought."

All three men, then, quietly left
With a hint of snobbery.
About the car, just like the Church,
They were unable to agree.

But the car had another meaning
Which lay beyond their sight.
They differed in their views so much
They failed to unite.

The car is the Mystical Body,
Whose members are far apart.
They are, like the works, not functional.
The car, thus, cannot start.

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Miss Lehmann's poetry was the winning entry in The Angelus' July 2007 writing contest, open to readers aged 10-18.