Gail Foster Poet Iambic Pentameter

The Curious Offering of the Sacristan

My verse has been chosen as Poem of the Month at Sherborne Abbey!

The curious offerings of sacristans
Are given in obscure humility
The symbol of the cupping of the hands
Enshrines the essence of this mystery
The dawn unlocked; the turning of a key
The mystic world behind the little door
The mourning weepers, watching, silently
The quiet foot upon uneven floor
The layered shadowed centuries; the pass
Of long dead worshippers before the throne
Slow shifts of coloured pools of stains of glass
Soft drift of latticed light on pillar stone
The empty candle, thirsting for new oil
Unscrewed and filled, screwed up again and lit
The hidden corners, carved by masons’ toil
In which a wary flickered flame may flit
The covering, uncovering; each fold
Of linen and of altar cloth an art
Within the starch of white, on marble cold
The space to hold His living, beating heart
Here, understated wafers wait in line
For blessing, as an unblessed congregation
Here silver, water, light, and red wine shine
Anticipating sacred consecration
Here eye, and hand, and mind, seek symmetry
In objects placed, in psychic ebbs and flows
Seek that perfection only God can see
In right angle and scented mystic rose
When all are done and gone, her hands will shake
The fragments of His flesh on holy ground
Shed drops upon the earth its thirst to slake
Pour water through the light without a sound
When all are gone, all blessed with wine and bread
There, in the East, where better men have trod
She kneels and presses to the step her head
And, lost in awe, she speaks these words to God

I am that ancient soul you always knew
A part of you, from when time first began
The I am that I am, the that in you
That serves thee, as I will, while still I can
I come to you as Christian, Muslim, Jew
Agnostic, Gnostic, Druid, Angel, Man
The cupping of my hands I give to you
The curious offering of a sacristan

© Gail Foster 2016

♡Like0

Share Poem

---

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Jannie Breedt January 13, 2017 at 1:35 AM I read it again and again. You should be so proud of this one. The sheer depth is almost an abyss. The holiness and deep respect goes clean of the page. As a poet this would be the bar I would aspire to attain.

Jannie Breedt January 13, 2017 at 1:24 AM Exquisitely beautiful read and heavily so. This for me is pure unadulterated talent. Maybe a different avatar would add to all my accolades for you

Jannie Breedt January 13, 2017 at 1:22 AM Exquisitely beautiful read and heavily so. This for me is pure unadulterated talent. Maybe a different avatar would add to all my accolades for you

Steven Henderson February 2, 2016 at 7:54 AM Impressive Gail! Truly! Peace and blessings to you and yours. Gail Foster February 2, 2016 at 8:45 AM Steven, thank you! I'm glad you liked this poem. I've been wanting to describe the experience of being a sacristan for some time, and writing this gave me the opportunity to touch on deep matters. Many blessings to you as well x