Friday, July 7, 2017

halfway round


You said there was a fire
and standing at the casement, I plunged headlong into the Night
Calling down help from every avenging angel
Bent on saving every kind soul to the light
But Lo, upon the Hill, a quieter flame has dawned
Beyond the confused night, silent as the stars
Gracious and polite, a pin-hole of glory
To infernos unseen, resting upon my forehead
In a sweep of oil, a whispered blessing

You said there was a fire
But no one is running; no one is afraid
Instead beckoned out of my panic into the snow
Through a silent piney woods
To a glowing window, a sturdy door
Into your arms on a settee, wrapped in warm quilts
And gazing into a crackling fireplace,
Complete with a pot of tea.
It seems a distant memory, my smokey lad,
To think that something else could have ever existed
Beyond this room,
This comfort, this Church, our books,
A sleeping dachshund, and you
and me.

*6 Months as a Catholic, July 8th, 2017.
Thanks be to God. 

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