avatarDionne Charlet

Summary

The web content is a poetic reflection on nature's reclamation of a religious site, emphasizing the interplay between the natural world and the remnants of worship.

Abstract

The text presents a vivid depiction of a once-sacred place now overgrown with vegetation, suggesting a transformation where nature has become the new sanctuary. Spanish moss and other plants have enveloped the site, creating a new kind of reverence that contrasts with the traditional worship that once took place there. The imagery evokes a sense of awe and mystery, as the natural elements interact with the decaying religious symbols, such as a grail, a fresco dome, and a Bible left open. The poem implies a cycle of growth and decay, where the sanctuary of winds and the sanctuary of nature coexist, each with its own sacredness.

Opinions

  • The author, Dionne Charlet, conveys a reverence for the power of nature to reclaim and transform spaces once dedicated to human worship.
  • There is a sense of nostalgia for the lost human elements, such as the fresco domed erosion and the marble palms, which are now being absorbed by the encroaching flora.
  • The use of phrases like "grail for dust" and "shroud the gash with ropes of growth" suggests a spiritual or metaphysical significance in the way nature heals and covers the remnants of human-made structures.
  • The poem implies that the natural world, with its blackberry, kudzu, and clover, has become a sanctuary in its own right, perhaps even more profound than the human-centric worship it has replaced.
  • The mention of "the Bible swells open" indicates a respect for the past religious significance of the site, while also acknowledging its current state of being part of the natural cycle.

FREE VERSE AND THE ABANDONMENT OF WORSHIP

God Overgrown

wall eye lost to the sanctuary of winds

Original photos by Dionne Charlet edited with Bazaart

Spanish moss grays to beard the fresco domed erosion into a grail for dust eclipsing phalangeal hues of sun.

Wall eye lost to the sanctuary of winds, an ovoid of stained glass consumes the moon forsaken with sites beyond this temple flailed with leeks.

Masses of blackberry and kudzu drape placental in genuflection over sculpts and marble palms chiseled in extension to shroud the gash with ropes of growth.

Clover flowers in parable gasping from a novena of vines that thrive to mend thorns of crown atop a broken stone at the sign for a king where the Bible swells open.

More poetry by Dionne Charlet:

Free Verse
Imagery
God
Poetry
Ruins
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