Moonlit Zennor…
(Inspired by Jane Askey’s painting…)
Morveren entices, lures and urges
One along a whitened way
Towards her sanctuary
Within a cold and dank church,
Where she purges
The sins of the curious, their lives helplessly astray…
A wide chair lies inside,
Carved in antiquity
Of the mermaid, scales cascading
From below voluptuous hips,
In her silent sanctity…
Her face is scored and damaged,
Scarred, scratched and ravaged…
And folks polish her with tentative fingers
And she shivers and quivers, yet delivers
Peace, hope and tranquility…
Thus Zennor’s spectral gloom urges
One onwards, deterring any delay,
Into its recesses,
Within the chill and damp church,
Where it purges
The sins of the spurious, their minds wilfully astray…
Pete Ray...
Zennor’s St Senara’s Church, Cornwall.
It is thought that the 15th-16th century carving was based upon Aphrodite, the goddess of love in antiquity, who originally held a comb and a quince, or love apple…
So many visitors have touched, smoothed and paid homage to Morveren, whose story can be found elsewhere, that the wood now gleams…
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.