A slow dive into several brains long dead
in this Roman archive library
amid dust of folios and a sneezing researcher,
tracking one man’s thoughts, inspirations,
his name was Friar Ignatius and his Sisyphean labors
lifting Peter Lombard—
once a faith-guide for medieval folk—
much like my second-grade Sister Mary Herman
stepping us through the Baltimore Catechism
with phrases still recalled,
                    “to know, love, serve in this life,
                     and be happy in the next.”
Now like Petrus,
Brady lives in 26 archival boxes
and countless carbons
and the good sister long dead as well—
I come up for air and espresso,
and ponder how to tell the story of a life.