Imposing double gates
From a time long past
Wrought in iron
To tall sharp points
And intricate curlicues
Black paint peeling
Away in layers
Revealing the grey
Of the metal beneath
Coated with rust
That stains my hand
The colour of old blood
As I push them open
To the sound of hinges
Echoing with a creak through
The cobbled courtyard

Uneven the stones
Beneath my tired feet
Damp and mossy
I tread carefully forward
Into the silence
It crushes me
With the weight of centuries
Tree branches guard chiselled stones
Testaments to the dead
Measures of lives
Well lived on this Earth
Messages of love
Tokens of grief and loss
Fading soon to dust
Where they were laid
But the memories never die

I hesitate briefly gazing upward
At the church
Timeless in its purpose
A crenellated clock tower
Gold hands on black face
Marking the passage of the hours
And once upon a time
Its bell tolled with solemn intent
Inviting all to pray together
Thick solid walls crafted from
Stone hewn from local quarries
Rough once now weathered
Standing the test of the years
Untroubled by change
The desertion to the secular life
Nor yet by men’s wars


Gargoyles captured mid cackle
Cavort near the roof top
Brandishing pitchforks
Grotesque misshapen bodies
Ugly of face and nature
Demons waiting to trap
The unwary sinner
With silken promises
Whispered in dulcet tones
But poised in anticipation of
Leading him down to hell
Down the wide road
Paved with good intentions
Ignoring the narrower path
Down to eternal torment
In the fiery pit

I stand at the door wooden studded
I turn the ring of iron
Opening it slowly inward
Inside pews and pulpit
Carefully carved of dark wood
Worn gently smooth in places
By humans kneeling at their prayers
I kneel down here like those before me
Memorials to the nobility of the Parish
Etched in the stone at my feet
And now sunlight spills softly
Through windows of stained glass
Casting multicoloured shadows
Here in this atmosphere of peace
My fear dissipates
And I feel miracles can happen