INNOCENT IN THE HOUSE 1971

YOUTH IN AN ABBEY IN 1971 HAUNTED BY A WOMAN

Perambulábo
in innocéntia cordis mei,
in médio domus meæ,

the bell tolled from the bell tower,
orange brick, Moorish design,

the I is as nothing
the whole symbol
of the cross is
the I crossed out Dom Joseph said,

self denial Gerald said
as we walked the cloister,

her pubic hair was dark
and come taste she said,

it was pride
that changed angels
into devils; it is humility
that makes men as angels
Augustine said,

the cloister gardens were rich in flowers,
I worked there after Terce
back bending and aching,

the French monk said
God talks in the soul,

her breasts shone in the candlelight
I kissed each in turn,

when one loves
one does not calculate
Therese said,

sunlight through the church's
high windows
colours on the paving stones
between the choir stalls,  

polish the wood with care
and a good yellow duster
Dom James had said,
the smell of polish and incense
filled the church after Terce,  

the silence in the chapel
before Mass touched and moved
the hardness of heart,

the peasant monk walked slow
knowing his God
and his small part.