FIRST VISIT MCMLXVIII.

Footsteps

down the corridor

a swish of cloth,

there was a knock

on the door

come in

you said,

Dom Higgs came in

an old monk

wrinkled face

tonsured head

he spoke

of the monastic life

he smelt

of aged sweat,

monasticae vitae

he said

you listened

uno con Dio

he added,

it rained

the black tiled roof

shone like black liquid

as you watched

and saw,

per guardare

e vedere,

refectory rectangle

long benches along

each wall

monks sitting

in silence

another read,

you sat on

the guest's bench

gazing at faces opposite

God's chosen,

ceux que

Dieu a choisis

black robed

pale of faces,

high windows

coloured glass

light in upon floor

and tables

the reader reading

lectio Divina,

plainsong sang

in abbey church

monks lined against

opposite walls

in choir stalls,

if God calls

you may enter

Dom Joe said

as you walked

the abbey grounds

soft wind

and bird sounds.

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