Poem: Requiescat in Pace

Effigies in repose
grand tombs in marble
marking the resting places
of powerful people
but the most important one
is the simple marker
in the floor
in the back
of the cathedral.


A respectful silence
muted sounds
sunlight streams through
stained glass windows
like beacons from Heaven
throws shadows that move
from tomb from tomb
restless like the dust motes
that float in the air.


When the sun sets
and the elaborate candelabra
are lit just like they have been
since time immemorial
and the petitioners leave
that is when the silence
becomes loud
with the echoes of those
whose bones lay deep
within the foundations.