In The Cathedral, A Shadow Weeps

[Joseph Armstead]

I have to admit that I haven't really much to say at the moment to add to any disussion regarding the relative worth and artistry of neo-Gothic writing in the current literary environment ... so I'l just drop off a poem, if I may.

In the Cathedral, A Shadow Weeps
By Joseph Armstead


A haunting of the soul of a thousand tears shed…

It lives in the places where the light fades away,
Wandering alone and faceless, letting no sound betray
Its presence as it paces, fretting from pillar to archway,
A flowing shade of ink, estranged from Life’s grand buffet.

As the aged cathedral hosts the wand’rings of the faithless lost,
The spectral shade is a voyeur to desperate prayers tossed
Into the depths of the cathedral, privy to the private costs
Of sin, need, lust and greed, a banquet draped in frost.

Born of night, it passes no judgment, it knows no arrogance,
Makes no challenge of righteousness, no thirst for vengeance,
The dark specter floats cross time and space, caged by penance,
Secrets held close, watching the sad parade of human reverence.

The confessional rings with the desperate whispers
Of the guilty and the broken, as they pour out blunder and bluster,
Passions and cravings, afraid of their scars, fearing failures,
Whiners, vipers, and vultures bleeding for a broken vicar.

Each gloomy day is much the same as the next,
Light within the dark, no confusion and no pretense,
The withered shadow prays with the flock, pride taken in context,
And together, ghost and fallen, a process of healing they commence.

A hope to return to grace, with hope eternal wed.

-END-

[Robby Baby (Dark Poet of Amour)]

Good capture of the angst of the state of faith these days, the church and such. I think I'd maybe retool to get it flowing just a bit better. It was an interesting read, as well as pleasent. It made me think about those things that are going on in relation to the state of religion

[Joseph Armstead]

Thanks! I penned this almost 5 years ago, back when I was sill trying to dabble, with only marginal success, in metered poetry. I found that rhyming schemes weren't comfortable for me, that I tended to lose my focus, and a lot of my message, as I fretted over the mechanics of rhyme. The restrictions created an artificiality I couldn't shake. As I've gone on, I now definitely favor writing free-verse above all other poetic forms.

But it was still a lot of fun...

[Author-Poet Aberjhani]

Love this line--"A flowing shade of ink, estranged from Life’s grand buffet."--and the overall concept of a cathedral being host to those who are all but damned (or are they?). The brooding tone and rich style make a gorgeous read.

Aberjhani

[Poetic Literature by Victoria]

[Robby Baby (Dark Poet of Amour)]

You are just going hogwild with this stuff, huh? Awesome :) Cool window shade for this poem :)

[Robby Baby (Dark Poet of Amour)]

HA!!! I love the end message! It's the groovin crypt keeper HAHA

[Poetic Literature by Victoria]

Halloween should be really groovin ...hee hee
Romantic Poetess Disappears For All Them Pesky Tricker Treaters!
OMG I gotta show you my wicked witch-AURGHH!!!!!