In the dark of the whispering nave as rosy incense blesses the scene, old hymns once sung in chanted waves still sail through hearts of choirs unseen; Dimly lit by a sanctuary lamp red, the altar lies in stony repose: a throne for him who for all bled and wished us love by the Holy Ghost. Streaming, rippling ocean hues with light washed bluer than Jonah’s whale flow from stained glass richly imbued by a Jewish hand with swirling detail: This sturdy house is a bobbing ark floating through our tempestuous time, marked by a seagull who soared and embarked on making his art for all sublime: to fulfill the promise of rainbows above for all those who seek the light of love
Inspired by the famous Marc Chagall windows seen in the Church of St. Stephen, Mainz. The “seagull” is a pun on his name in keeping with the maritime imagery of the poem. “Nave” is the term for the main body of the church, but also means “ship” (as in “naval”).