Seasons, senses & self: Day 29
The heavens come down to earth to be expressed
in formulae. Physicists know best
the light stars shine on cosmic secrets. Rest
in peace, ancient wisdom, rise in glory.
Mars looks dead – we have launched spears
at his red face. His legacy strikes fear
as we forge weapons Vulcan would abhor.
Heaven’s abolished; hell’s unleashed its fury.
… … … … … … … … … … … … Gory
messages rush in on wakening minds
as dreams tangle tales the wireless finds
of suffering. A beggar’s ragged coat is lined
with feathers at the shoulder. Hear his story.
Seasons, Senses & Self: a daily series
Michaelmas (aka Saint Michael & All Angels) is celebrated annually by some churches on the 29th September. St. Michael was believed to be an archangel who threw Lucifer (Satan) out of heaven when he rebelled against God. Jacob Epstein created a bronze sculpture depicting St Michael’s victory for the new Coventry Cathedral.
The lines above are taken from a poem of mine which tries to explore the idea of angels from a different angle. (In the Tanakh – the Jewish scriptures – angels sometimes turn up as mysterious strangers, with no visible signs of power or otherworldliness, who turn out to be messengers from God.)
In case you’re interested – each stanza of the poem has three rhyming lines in iambic pentameter (meaning ti-tum-ti-tum-ti-tum-ti-tum-ti-tum is the underlying rhythm), plus a short fourth line which rhymes with all the other stanzas. And there’s some information about Michaelmas traditions on the Historic UK website.