She returned to the abbey in Kilkenny this morning, expecting to find everything in its place. And so it was—
stained glass spun like a sundial to pierce her vision. She returned to the carved, crossed legs. How she clung to this station and the sweet dampness that accompanied every inhale.
She floated her fingers down her breast. North, South, East, West—again, across her chest. Daylight pooled between the pillars.
This was the way she re-entered, with incense on her heart, and the quick, forbidden thought– Though He was listening, sometimes it was all too strange.
A note from the author:
"Annunciation takes place in Black Abbey, an old church in the medieval town of Kilkenny in Ireland. It's a reversal of the annunciation story, where instead of acting in faith, the woman in the poem is working through doubt. Sometimes one has to 'go through the motions,' to feel faithful until it becomes real to them again. I was interested in the way sacred art and church spaces might feel strange or even uncomfortable for someone who has been away."