ALL MY SEEING MCMLXXI

A YOUTH IN AN ABBEY AND HAUNTED BY A WOMAN IN 1971

I touched
the wooden choir stall
as I entered
the abbey church
felt the smoothness,

tactus Dei,

Dom Joe walked me
to the sacristy and said
help Dom Charles
he will show you
what he wants doing
and remember
it is God's work
you do,

habitavitque
in domo Dei,

George was hoovering
the cloister getting
into the corners
with a dedicated skill,

always do
the smallest right
and do it for love
Therese said
Faire le plus petit droit
et le faire pour l'amour,

I did it because
I was asked and even
when Dom Charles
was so finicky
I did it,

kiss this she said
he will not do so
so I did,

the abbey bells rang
while I walked back
to the abbey
from the gardens
carrying the apples,

prunelle de mes yeux
the girl in
Paris had said that time
but was I?

le monde est ton
vaisseau et non ton foyer
Therese said so I read
a ship not a home
this world,

Gareth cleaned out
the latrines
on all floors
beginning is the most
important part of work
he said quoting Plato
but he in the Greek,

she knelt on the bed
and said
take me take me
so I did so quite slow,

en silence Dieu
nous parle
the French monk said
as we stood
in the cloister garth
sipping afternoon tea,

I smelt incense
as I waited
for the office of None
to begin and watched
the birds dive
into the cloister garth
for the bread thrown down
by the old monk,

feel Him there
Dom James said
speaking of God's being,

I looked at the moon
and lost Him
for all my seeing.