Three Churches
I. Augustinian Priory
St Augustine, patron saint of brewers,
printers and theologians, is depicted holding a quill,
poised to write, in a stained glass window
overlooking the shrine of St Jude,
patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes.
To light candle insert coins into slot
and press button on candle of choice.
II. The Collegiate Church of St Nicholas
The guestbook is filled with prayers for sons and daughters
and dying mothers. Everyone is selfless where anyone and God
can see. Then we spy, in tripping English, a plea:
Please help me to be love.
III. Galway Cathedral
In the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven
and St Nicholas the alabaster saints rest in alcoves,
languages they could never imagine flurrying around them.
Using the St Killian’s Candle System we pick up
a candle each and light them for our future children.
I choose the blue section, for isn’t forget-me-not the mother’s colour?
We leave, declining to pay, quiet and blasphemous.
Lesley Martin is a graduate of English and Creative Writing at Queen’s University Belfast, where she studied under Ciarán Carson and Sinéad Morrissey. She is currently studying for an MA in Arts Management. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook
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