Oct 2023
The invisible, red chair
sat screaming, pleading, bleeding
and a priest walked past on the other side, preferring his pew.
So too, a curate saw the chair and with a moment’s pause
moved on, and unfolded a meditation stool.
Then later in the day, after many had almost seen and chose to pass,
a red-ribboned refugee stopped and saw
and she wept with the chair til sundown.
sat screaming, pleading, bleeding
and a priest walked past on the other side, preferring his pew.
So too, a curate saw the chair and with a moment’s pause
moved on, and unfolded a meditation stool.
Then later in the day, after many had almost seen and chose to pass,
a red-ribboned refugee stopped and saw
and she wept with the chair til sundown.
I came across this https://www.restored-uk.org/partner/cneda/red-chair/ today, referencing the UN's 16 days of actism against gender-based violence (25 Nov - 10 December) and encouraging us to designate a chair, cover it with red fabric, prompting us to remember those who should still be with us, but who arn't due to domestic violence.
