Gold Leaf

Gold Leaf Gold leaf frescoes on a church wall are very lovely Saints and angels on display at a pretty price Just outside, mold takes over, clings to surfaces, settles Poor people float inside like famished spirits Transformed with tarnished shoes and souls They see the glow of heaven at their heels Marbled floors and altered states of grace Collection baskets fly by, gobble up dollars More gold leaf is needed Walls must be fed Outside mold clings and grows Ivy also, on the ancient structure, very pretty Gold leaf comes at a glowing cost Lovely frescoes, angels and a cross The priest promises to feed the congregation Perhaps next season Hunger must wait, we understand More money is needed immediately Gold leaf angels are more than mysteries They are financial emergencies, for gold leaf frescoes