Jesus with your blonde hair and blue eyes you look good up there like a boy from the Hitler Youth like a colourful propaganda poster all healthy hardy men and buxom women with thickset arms and rosy cheeks singing in the fields the harvest is plentiful and all good things around us are sent from just praise our Great Leader something about the brightness of your window clashes with the musty air and look at your strong white thighs your crown is made of shiny splinters or shards or could they be stars I don't know but everyone in here is blonde except Saint Augustine over there in the corner but he's balding anyway it is very still it feels a bit strange I thought that when I first walked in but I thought don't be silly it's fine but then again it does I'm sorry to come in here and desecrate your house with all these thoughts but you know what I'm like is that wrong I don't know if it is my sandals are squeaking on the polished stones I can smell the dust of a thousand silent words are they prayers yellowing hymn books or old skin cells I walk past George with his winning foot on the neck of a dying dragon all red and white and silver breastplate Britain never never never shall be slaves I pull the door and I am glad to be outside it is hot hot hot and people on phones walk by with sweat on their brows that night I am lying in bed trying to sleep I keep thinking about seeing you up there like that I keep thinking I've seen this bright and brittle Jesus who looks like a boy from the Hitler Youth on a stained glass window in a church on Ealing Broadway on a baking hot sunny day.
Comments
Highhat | August 11, 2012 - 07:16
Very good Marion.. You know Marion, I grew up an atheist so I am biased as to Jesus worshipping. I read David Maidment's Story on Abctales- The political Prisoner and decided that Jesus was an extremely cool and over- self-confident pr*ck but nevertheless David portrays him as being very intelligent- it was a very well-written story by the way. Today we have lots of intelligent political agitators so Jesus just doesn't stand out for me! Your piece is very personal but so is Jesus worshipping even though it is so common. I just don't get it? Nature is much more interesting than these political Leadership icons.
magicdarer | August 11, 2012 - 08:00
So much in this poem. It starts off amusing to my mind and I read it with a smile, but then aquires a huge depth as potentially as bright (and as dark) as her reflections on the stained glass Jesus. Well deserved of the cherry, love the title and the boldness with so many subtleties.
White Dwarf | August 11, 2012 - 09:26
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marionwozere | August 11, 2012 - 11:04
Hi Highhat, thanks for your comment, yeah the person, the man Jesus and what he was like is a fascinating subject to me. I too am biassed as I am a follower/worshipper but I also have lots of agitating questions and doubts, and find writing about it without cliche or cringeyness is really quite tricky...that church was a weird experience, so much nationalism mixed in with the traditional churchy atmosphere. I think you're right, nature is a much neglected facet of spirituality.....anyway, thanks :)
marionwozere | August 11, 2012 - 11:05
Thanks Magicdarer, I'm glad you enjoyed the humour and also the darker themes, it's really encouraging, thanks again :)
Stan | August 11, 2012 - 13:42
Great.
'I can smell the dust of a thousand silent words'
What a killer line.
More of your stream of consciousness, please. I like the way your thoughts run.
marionwozere | August 11, 2012 - 19:33
Thanks Stan, I'm trying to open the flood gates :)
catherine poarch | August 20, 2012 - 10:05
I like this, it's like a little short story, following you around with your thoughts. i can smell the church as i walk in behind you. dust, sunlight etc. i am a believer too but one who doesn't like church unless it's popping in to light a candle and running away again! i think it's the difference between god and religion that is hard. it's like putting aslan in a cage.
marionwozere | August 20, 2012 - 11:21
I love that 'putting Aslan in a cage', thanks for reading and commenting Catherine :) x
sid | September 12, 2012 - 12:52
I absolutely love this! I was going to quote my favourite bits but I ended up nearly copy and pasting the whole thing. It was lovely to meet you at the wheatsheaf, hope you will read next time
marionwozere | September 12, 2012 - 22:38
Hi Sid, yea it was a really fun evening; I'm looking forward to having that little bit of pressure of having said I'll read something, otherwise I tend to just procrastinate till it's too late :)
blackjack-davey | September 15, 2012 - 11:05
I like the continuous sentence and the vision of Jesus as a poster boy for the Hitler Youth. The feeling of stepping from sunlight into shade and stained glass. This could be incorporated into something longer if you wanted, a really interesting character interior. Nice meeting you at The Wheatsheaf, I was looking for Marion F for some reason but that may be the gin and Thomas still speaking
marionwozere | September 22, 2012 - 10:34
Hi twas nice to meet you too...I think the f relates to simonf...thanks for your comment :)