Oil slick and incense putrid;
cassock folds flutter aside the heel.
Blue wanting lingers in frigid mist,
and snow, soft secrets, muted confessions.
Throat, pull the white and to the wind,
lips touch, brush, and push.
Hearts, blushing heat, and palms,
spying stars, the world’s eyes.
Spiteful ritual, crumbling ruins, cracking paint.
Careless moments conjured by glances and smiles and trepidatious fingers.
Summon God, Father, if you must;
prayer lost to begging — unraveling devotion.
The Chamberlain
