Whether beads are used to mark repeated prayers, incantations, or devotions, over two-thirds of the world's population uses them in religious practices. In A Strand of Beads, the majority of the poems focus on prayers addressed to Mary-rosaries said in praise and entreaty and for metaphysical/psychological reasons. Other beads, such as the Persian strand the poet received in Iran, focus on protection from negative energy and provide relief from stress. The lead poem features a rosary obtained from Dachau and tells the story ...
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Whether beads are used to mark repeated prayers, incantations, or devotions, over two-thirds of the world's population uses them in religious practices. In A Strand of Beads, the majority of the poems focus on prayers addressed to Mary-rosaries said in praise and entreaty and for metaphysical/psychological reasons. Other beads, such as the Persian strand the poet received in Iran, focus on protection from negative energy and provide relief from stress. The lead poem features a rosary obtained from Dachau and tells the story about the marriage ceremony of two young people who choose to spend their honeymoon in southern Germany and Poland. When the couple brings the Dachau strand back as a gift for the poet, she experiences revelations while using it and wishes the couple had kept the rosary and used it to preserve their marriage. Whether writing about glass beads, precious stones, or wooden beads, Moore is always cognizant of the word "bede," the old English word that means "prayer," and of the cogent spiritual energy within each strand of beads.
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