Description 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.
