sketch: ralph murre
Basilica circa AD 2000
by Stephen
Anderson
A
tarnished copper dome, expertly fitted
Over
steel and concrete shell sheltering
Inside
the ornate masterpiece of
The
finest carved marble,
Exquisitely
crafted wooden pews,
Polished
sandstone and chiseled granite,
Richly
colored murals with
Golden
trim from the gilded strokes
Of
master painters,
Saintly
stories in stained glass
Painstakingly
cut and welded with
Lead
frame into whole form
By
yet other Old World artisans whose
Creation,
nourished by decades of
Pious
devotion and religion-inspired generosity,
Rises
defiantly into the new millennium
Above
urban decay, gangbangers
And
people searching for their
Next
food pantry.
~ first published in Wisconsin Poets’ Calendar
