Cloister In The Heart

Dr. Nicola Slee

1 June 2017

Cloister In The Heart

 

berry on the green
silver on the sedge
scarlet on the leaf
             cloister in the heart

iron in the sky
freezing in the blood
purple on the sea
            cloister in the heart

winds across the land
rains upon the fields
birds along the sand
          cloister in the heart

death upon the wind
crying in the dark
blood upon the land
          cloister in the heart

ripples on the mere
patterns in the sand
circles in the grain
            cloister in the heart

candles in the hearth
silence in the dark
darkness in the year
            cloister in the heart

tiles upon the roofs
light upon the walls
peace upon the town
           cloister in the heart

© Nicola Slee

Image Pattern and Stone, Iona, Iain Sargeant, with kind permission, www.spiritofbradan.com

Cloister in the Heart appeared in Doing December Differently: An Alternative Christmas Handbook, co-edited by Nicola and Rosie Miles, published by Wild Goose Publications, 2006.

Dr. Nicola Slee is Director of Research at The Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham, UK. She was a Distinguished Academic Visitor to Vaughan Park in 2009.