The Shadow Consecrates

The Shadow Consecrates

 

The shadow consecrates the stone

Between the altar and the bone:

A tangible absence.

I stand without; within they sing,

My soul and theirs all spiralling

Towards some Presence.

 

I see the Light, I hear the Call

Between the lychgate and the wall,

And keep my distance.

The shadow weaves the loom of loss:

A hollow tomb, an empty cross

Raised like a monstrance.

 

The shadow consecrates the bone

That lies beneath the lichened stone

And I am Present.

The congregation sing within

By gargoyle’s tail and angel’s wing

And I am Absent.

 

Poem by Giles Watson, 2011.

 

Done