The history is one of
privation and power.
Cloistered sisters
learn the bishop
will arrive unexpected.
How to rise from vows 
of poverty to honor
the institution giving them

the right to live
in God’s silence
and pray to close 
the distance
between themselves
and mystery.
In the convent
kitchen a rush

to glean what
their austerity
availed—cacao,
chilhuacle negro,
banana, peanut,
tomato, bread,
tomatillo, garlic,
cloves, allspice,

almonds, pollo 
scratching dirt 
in the holy yard.
I hope the sisters 
laughed in their
powerless power
to please the dignitary.
The bishop in his red 

vestments and gold
chalice is lost
to history. The sisters
in their dull habits
and ceaseless devotion 
and readiness to meet
the day we honor 
with each bite.

We welcome reader letters. Email High Country News at editor@hcn.org or submit a letter to the editor. See our letters to the editor policy.

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Mole Negro

by Alison Hawthorne Deming, High Country News
June 1, 2024

<h1>Mole Negro</h1> <p class="byline">by Alison Hawthorne Deming, High Country News <br />June 1, 2024</p> <br /> <figure class="wp-block-audio"><audio controls src="https://www.hcn.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Mole-Negro.mp3"></audio></figure> <p>The history is one of<br />privation and power.<br />Cloistered sisters<br />learn the bishop<br />will arrive unexpected.<br />How to rise from vows&nbsp;<br />of poverty to honor<br />the institution giving them</p> <p>the right to live<br />in God’s silence<br />and pray to close&nbsp;<br />the distance<br />between themselves<br />and mystery.<br />In the convent<br />kitchen a rush</p> <p>to glean what<br />their austerity<br />availed—cacao,<br /><em>chilhuacle negro</em>,<br />banana, peanut,<br />tomato, bread,<br />tomatillo, garlic,<br />cloves, allspice,</p> <p>almonds, pollo&nbsp;<br />scratching dirt&nbsp;<br />in the holy yard.<br />I hope the sisters&nbsp;<br />laughed in their<br />powerless power<br />to please the dignitary.<br />The bishop in his red&nbsp;</p> <p>vestments and gold<br />chalice is lost<br />to history. The sisters<br />in their dull habits<br />and ceaseless devotion <br />and readiness to meet<br />the day we honor <br />with each bite.</p> <p><em>We welcome reader letters. Email&nbsp;</em>High Country News<em>&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:editor@hcn.org">editor@hcn.org</a>&nbsp;or submit a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hcn.org/feedback/contact-us">letter to the editor</a>. See our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hcn.org/policies/lte">letters to the editor policy</a>.</em></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.hcn.org/issues/56-6/mole-negro/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.hcn.org&quot;&gt;High Country News&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/www.hcn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-HCN_Logo-Monogram_White_Sq-2.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;quality=100&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://www.hcn.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=325475&amp;amp;ga4=G-0NS3WVPPTN&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://www.hcn.org/issues/56-6/mole-negro/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/hcn.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</p> Copy to Clipboard

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