Greatest Longing

What is the deepest hunger of the human heart? What does the soul long for when everything else falls away? What desire remains when all lesser loves have been stripped away?The Greatest Longing is the second book in Dr. Alan Altany's Christian Poetry of the Sacred series, a contemplative exploration of divine desire, human yearning, and the God who meets us in our deepest need. Dr. Altany, a recently retired professor of Comparative Religions with a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, brings decades of theological reflection and literary craft to this meditation on longing, love, and the sacred. His poetry has appeared in Beltway Poetry Quarterly, North Dakota Quarterly, Montreal Review, Valley Voices, and other respected literary journals. This is not surface-level devotional poetry. This is intellectually honest, theologically grounded verse that explores the ache at the center of human existence, the hunger that drives us toward God, the longing that shapes our prayers, our grief, our hope. It is poetry that refuses to minimize the difficulty of faith or the reality of absence. This is poetry for those who:- Hunger for mystical encounter beyond surface religion- Wrestle with faith, doubt, and divine silence- Seek intellectually rigorous spiritual literature- Want poetry that doesn't shy away from life's hardest questions- Appreciate the contemplative tradition of Thomas Merton and the mysticsThe series has earned a 4.9-star rating from readers seeking contemplative depth. IDEAL FOR:- Contemplative prayer groups and spiritual direction- Catholic university theology departments- Readers of Commonweal, America Magazine, Christian Century- Anyone seeking depth in Christian poetry- Seminary students and theology faculty- Those exploring the intersection of poetry and theology- Readers interested in mystical spiritualityTHE COMPLETE CHRISTIAN POETRY OF THE SACRED SERIES:1. A Beautiful Absurdity (2022)2. The Greatest Longing (2023)3. Intimations (2024)4. Poems to God (2025)Each book in this series can be read independently, but together they form a comprehensive contemplative journey through the Christian experience of faith, doubt, longing, and encounter with the divine.