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What heart is not haunted by the past?
Say "Latin" and I am back
at early Mass, breathing in the incense,
bending my head at the ringing of the bell,
the familiar, comforting chanting
my safe harbor, my peace.
The wax is dripping down the candles.
We pray for the dead,
those restless ghosts
perhaps kneeling right behind me,
haunted, spirits
without rest.
The movie of the past
lives right behind my eyes,
each random thought
rolling a few scenes,
beautiful, tinged with regret
for all I did not then, but needed
desperately, to know.
In Italy, a Madonna weeps
tears of blood
that any mother understands.
Believers beat their chests
and pray, spread wildflowers
at her feet.
The statue's owner refuses
to submit to
a DNA test.
Doubt enters the hearts
of the faithful.
Perhaps it isn't
the end of the world
after all.
for Shay's Word List: https://fireblossom-wordgarden.blogspot.com/2024/06/word-garden-word-list-madeleines-ghost.html
Weirdly, Blogger wont let me insert links any more. Sigh.
Nicely done, Sherry. You really evoked the feel of the sanctuary and Mass. As for the weeping Madonna, as a politician once said, "trust but verify."
ReplyDeleteAt the tender age of 19, a converted Catholic, since lapsed. The first two stanzas of your wonderfully crafted brought it all back and I remembered how much it impacted me then. The ceremony, incense, Latin masses. You did Shay and the Word List proud.
ReplyDeleteSome vivid recollections followed by an interesting mystery. Why is the Madonna crying? What would the DNA tell?
ReplyDeleteWickipedia suggests that the owner refused the DNA test because it would have proved it was his own blood the statue was weeping. So hard to hold onto mystery in today's deceptive world. Smiles.
DeleteSo very true, Sherry!
DeleteThis is really good - it breaks those preconceived ideas and thoughts that cloud our world. - I Love - Believers beat their chests and pray, spread wildflowers at her feet. - really speaks volumes. Excellent.
ReplyDeleteA really sensitive and powerful write, Sherry 🩷 I love how you describe the movie of the past rolling its scenes behind your eyes.
ReplyDeleteThat opening line is so good and pulls the reader right in! Your third stanza is so relatable and perfectly placed in the heart of your poem. I love "weeps tears of blood that any mother understands." Powerful close, too. Excellently crafted, Sherry.
ReplyDeleteA good friend of ours has been a monk for over twenty years and though I'm not a Catholic, we used to go regularly to the monastery for Vespers. Then we moved a few states away and it's just a precious memory now, but your words, Sherry, brought it all back. Sacred spaces are sacred for more than the spectacle. They situate us to receive grace, faith, peace, as you say, and in the fellowship of those just as needy as ourselves. I love how you capture the sincerity as well as the charlatanism of such a space where the world follows us in.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent, mysterious poem, Sherry!
ReplyDeleteThis is a thought provoking poem. Perhaps, the Madonna’s tears are best kept a secret. The mystery of faith - Truedessa
ReplyDeleteOooh! Nicely done. “ Say "Latin" and I am back
ReplyDeleteat early Mass, breathing in the incense,” perfect.
Good to hear the question. What heart is not haunted by the past? But some aren't. I want to talk with them! I need to let go. It's making me melancholy
ReplyDelete