ALREWAS CHURCH & THE GOUGED SLAB: A NEW POEM...

Alrewas Church

(Matthias Langley, Vicar of Alrewas from 1708-1728 wanted his stone memorial slab to be placed in the doorway of the church so that the congregation would walk over him, like they apparently had during his life… 

One door had scored the surface badly and I noticed that a small oak chest had marked the interior floor too… 

Matthias’ ghost perhaps, responding…)

Gouged Slab

Gouging an arc

On his memorial,

The door sliced

And defaced it,

Cutting the ground,

Defiling, spoiling

And marking it,

Then pulled itself back

With a sneer,

The weal a cleaved erosion…

Grabbing a corner

Of a darkened, oak chest,

The phantom heaved

And dragged it,

Scoring the ground,

Scraping, chafing,

And marking it,

Then pushed it back

With a leer,

To reveal a fractured abrasion…

Pete Ray