Sunday Afternoon
by Jesse Anger
The church dark and ranging,
its trick distances slowing
our steps. Past the pews
a faint light outlines
the altar and the wooden cross.
The triptych window glows
halos and indigo—
we keep to the shadows.
I cradle you like a whisper
from station to station. A sliver
of stained-glass light beneath
your eye. I tell of the river—
the dove anoints his crown
descending through a leaden
latticework cloud. I speak
above your head, my son,
hushed in this empty room.
I do not tell you how
his blood made wine— how
white was not the color
of the lamb, or how many
dead tongues take up
this silence. We leave without
a prayer. I set you down
in the bright hallway with
the sharp white sun
like a wing in your hair.
Far Too Close is out of print from The Blasted Tree Store.
JESSE ANGER
Contributing Author
Other works on The Blasted Tree:
Far Too Close by Jesse Anger is a composite of Blasted Tree originals and previously published work. For information about the publication history of Far Too Close, please read the Acknowledgements (Acknowledgements & Thanks).
ISBN [Digital]: 978-0-9938364-7-3
Cover Design by Kyle Flemmer - Cover Image by Dimitri Castrique