Delighted to have 3 poems published by Antarctica Journal http://antarcticajournal.com/poem-low...

POEM – LOW VAULTED CEILINGS (BY STRIDER MARCUS JONES)
October 16, 2015 Antarctica Journal

within those man stone walls

promoting their god

bringing us to him

i told the priest-

you tell us to be content

with poverty

while you live in this big house

throwing us scraps

begged from money lenders.

this is not what Jesus

asked his disciples to do.

this is not what he died for.

he said live amongst us

and share what they have.

the priest,

red with rage,

oppressive and oppressed-

pulled my mam aside

made her shrink in his stare

weep in his words

walk me in our sins

from his dark-damp house of angels.

outside

in feral sunshine

i pointed to grinning gargoyles

chasing chastened shadows

back down primitive paths-

to a cellar flat,

bare bulb dangling

prison beam probing

baptised flesh

and mam tipped tears

soaking into straw mattresses

sucking up cold from the flagstone floor

woodworms eating a Van Gogh table

where six mouths sat

sharing stale bread and cold beans

with whiskered skirting board mice.

years later,

i left Dedalus in Dublin

in the pages of a book

to his epiphany

and Jesuit suit of guilt-

while i quenched

my glistening fruit

in street light ladies-

drenched in smokey curling

dancing clouds

and stories from voices

bouncing off low vaulted ceilings

caressing human in darkness.