Work in Progress "The Wild and Holy Days"

Remember the 50's?
Sitting in St Joe’s I hear seagulls cry
Over the priests murmured consultation with the decorator A House of Prayer needs quiet
I remember when they redecorated the church columns, painting the cement with vines and branches
The dark recesses lit by the stained glass windows of the saints
The wrought iron altar rail
The gory crucifix of Jesus is gone
The cold cement floor and the grates where women’s high heels would get stuck
The swish-swish of their nylons as they sashayed back from communion

Kneeling, standing, sitting, fasting
Benediction and the songs
The bingo hall, the stage, the smorgasbord, the brownies and girl scouts
The processions
Bless throats with candles, foreheads with ashes, palms given out on Palm Sunday

copyright Margaret Doyle 2006