Village church

The heavy church door clunks as I slowly heave aside

To a cool, vast space, stone arches reaching high

My eyes fill with wonder at the artistic rich display

Contrasting light and shadow, shafts of sunlight rays

And then I look above me, dwarfed by window grand

Kaleidoscopic colours in vivid  symmetry stand

Prophets and disciples depicted while angels fly  

Beneath the one Almighty with reverence in their eyes

Mesmerised by beauty from the craftsmen’s hands of old

Who gave their lives in service to a story to be told

They strove for paths of light, and a just morality

Their simple love and  friendship in a close community

The door clunks behind me and I walk past towering yew

Reflecting on their lives and the wisdom that they knew

Staggered by the effort, their devotion tucked away  

Down a country lane where the blackbirds sing all day