Vibrant voices,
though mute,
stream with light
from every shard.
The silent congregation of intricate
and ancient art, is animate
with sanguine songs,
a cadmium and cobalt choir
intoning medieval psalms
and Victorian poetry.
Such heavenly illuminations
are devilishly delicate,
so easy to annihilate.
Kim M. Russell, 12th August 2019
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Quadrille: Raising Our Poetic Voices
De is our host this Monday, asking us to give voice in exactly 44 words.
For my birthday, we took the train from Norwich to Ely, a medieval city situated on an island in the East Anglian fens. We went to Oliver Cromwell’s house, wandered around the Ely Museum, which used to be the bishop’s gaol, and Ely Cathedral, where I was fascinated by the stained glass museum and took many photos of examples of beautiful glass art through the ages. It reminded me how much stained glass has been destroyed by religious fanaticism and war.
writing in north norfolk 
So much glorious sound happening here, Kim. Goodness.
My fave:
“a cadmium and cobalt choir”
Wonderful.
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Thank you, De. While I was at the museum, I watched a video about how the history of stained glass, how it is made and put together. It was fascinating.
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I love the visual aspect of such a voice, but so brittle and easy to break it is… and once it’s gone it will remain silent.
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Thanks Bjorn. I love stained glass windows and have visited places where they have been destroyed and it took years to replace them, It’s a painstaking art form or craft.
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Awesome Workout kim881 , I loved your work.
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Thank you so much!
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You are always welcome
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I love the alliteration in this. cadmium choir for example. It is so true how this glass speaks to us and how once it is destroyed, it is forever silent. Beautiful.
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Thank you, Toni.
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Your words are simply beautiful and so are your photos Kim.
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Thank you, Linda.
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A silent choir—beautifully put. I bet Oliver Cromwell pegged a few stones through Ely Cathedral windows.
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There is a haunting atmosphere around Ely, Jane. It’s a compact little island.
Have you read Floodland by Marcus Sedgwick? It’s set in a dystopian East Anglia: Norwich is an island with dangerous marauding gangs and the protagonist escapes to Ely (Eels Island) in a boat.
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No, I don’t know that one. Sounds like my kind of story. I read Waterland but didn’t much like it. And the Snow Goose of course. It must be an eerie sort of a place.
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Really liked the beauty and fragility of this piece Kim,
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Thanks Rob.
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Such beauty in your words, reminding us of the vulnerability of beauty and art to the destruction of war. Beautifully intuitive write.
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Thank you, Bev.
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It’s hard to imagine the destruction of the beauty conveyed in your words.
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Thank you, Ken.
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The whole poem is a work of art. These lines speak volumes:
“The silent congregation of intricate
and ancient art, is animate
with sanguine songs,”
So beautiful but depicting such bloodthirsty acts…
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Thank you, Jade.
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You are very welcome.
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Gorgeous, evocative writing. Beautifully crafted…
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Thank you so much!
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You’ve made the art sing! I love the way you bring it all back to life with….
“Vibrant voices,
though mute,
stream with light
from every shard”
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Thank you, Mish!
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What a visual delight and these stained windows are so delicately beautiful. Hope you had a good birthday celebration KIm.
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Thank you, Grace.
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Beauty is fragile in a violent world. Throughout history, the church has inspired and preserved gorgeous art, architecture, and music.
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Beauty often comes from trying to make sense of the violent world.
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One of the reasons we write poetry 🙂
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😊
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There is so much story-telling in your words and windows. The artwork speaks without words.
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Thank you.
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Last in line, but enjoyed your poem. So many things today are “devilishly delicate”–from truth to democracy.
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Thank you, Glenn.
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“The silent congregation of intricate
and ancient art, is animate
with sanguine songs,” — wonderful!
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Thank you!
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Beautifully said, Kim. I also like the alliteration. So much history–and as you say beauty and fanaticism.
The stories of stained glass windows in most churches probably tell a story beyond what is depicted.
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Thank you, Merril.
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Light and color both have beautiful voices. (K)
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I marvel at the patience and vision of stained glass artists, and you capture that fragility ~
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Thank you, Michael.
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Love, the silent congregation!
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Thank you, Sara!
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Pictured Chaliced Glassed
Stainted Glasst WinDoWeD
Stories TaLeS iLLiteRate STiLL
Centuries oF iGnorancE NoW ToLD
Words ThouSands of WoRDS NoW
Hanging A Cross NeVeR RiSinG AGaiN
JusT
LoVE NoW
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