How to Read a Choir Stall
Descend to the misericord,
half-cantilever, half-secret:
a mercy-seat that bears your weight
only if you bend.
Beneath you,
grotesques, green men, grylloi,
foxes with chalices,
apes with miters,
a woodwose curling
in relief.
Above you, a hammerbeam roof
like a ribcage,
rood screen removed,
still haunted.
The angels see your unworthiness,
your entire epistemology.
6 thoughts on "How to Read a Choir Stall"
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Title grabbed me and drew me right into this gorgeous poem.
Love: “Descend to the misericord,
half-cantilever, half-secret:
a mercy-seat that bears your weight
only if you bend.”
Adore: a hammerbeam roof
like a ribcage,
thank you, Pam
Beautiful poem with a bit of a surprise at the end. I sang for four years in the choir of Duke Chapel, whose stalls are much as you describe although no rood screen. I always felt blessed to be there.
thank you (*googling Duke Chapel*)
I love “a mercy-seat that bears your weight/only if you bend.” Wow! Stunning work.
thank you 🙏