I kept my answers small and kept them near;
Big questions bruised my mind but still I let
Small answers be a bulwark to my fear.
The huge abstractions I kept from the light;
Small things I handled and caressed and loved.
I let the stars assume the whole of night.
But the big answers clamoured to be moved
Into my life. Their great audacity
Shouted to be acknowledged and believed.
Even when all small answers build up to
Protection of my spirit, still I hear:
Big answers striving for their overthrow
And all the great conclusions coming near.
Jennings was a devout Catholic and it seems that religious themes are present in her work and in this poem in particular.
penwithlit 