The Translucent Loft

The Translucent Loft The girls choir at St. Mary’s still sings there. Shh, be quiet as we step inside through these green rectangular doors, Shh! Listen... We can hear them up there, in the translucent loft. They are still cloistered upstairs in the saintly glow, of stained glass fortissimos, and bare knees, dressed in blue sweaters with plaid beanies doffed upon the three dozen crowns of the virgin sainted; And now before us, the majesty of the holy sanctuary, the deep eternity of ever-swallowing horizontal constictions, upon which the devout might meditate the spirit mysteries, with blessed rosaries, scapulars, and communion wafers, bristling miraculously upon flaming tongues of fire. “Shh! Be quiet here in the church, it is a sin to talk!” We must fold our hands in silent contrition to an invisible God. We must say our prayers, memorized from old missals. We must genuflect on bended leg, making the sign of the cross. But still, a likeness of our creator, dead and naked, Nailed and bloody, with sickening thorns and gushing crimson, hangs before us most ignominiously, a dead creator. How can this be, Father Flanagan? Why are we being reminded of this, Monsignor Molthen? Why dear saints?, all ye there, encrusted immaculately, in stone cold tableaux, absorbed forever and today, in emerald stained glass transfigurations, way up there, high on the upper reaches of this long heavenly nave, that stretches out like long arms wearing bracelets of infinity. Why are we to be reminded of this? The girls choir at St. Mary’s still sings there. Shh, be quiet as we step outside through these green rectangular doors. Shh! Listen... We can still hear them up there, in the translucent loft.