The Mountain and the Church

This poem was featured in the Late Winter 2020 Monadnock Underground print quarterly.

At the foot of a mountain stands a church.
In the morning, the church’s shadow obscures the low-lying trees.
As the sun passes above, the mountain’s claims dominion.

Are we to believe that a house of gods would be so small?
Or perhaps they live where rock and cloud collide…
Where the rustling leaves, singing birds, and growling beasts are found…
Where gentle streams whisper to whomever will hear…

Surely no god would take refuge in such flimsy shelter.

And though it’s been said once, it bears saying again
that nothing will contain the gods which was built by men