Australia

Contrasts

A candle glimmers from a gloomy niche,
The dark church crouches in the strangling mist,
A gothic gnarl of forest myth enstoned,
A history of Christendom entombed:
But we have light;
Slanting through clear, bright windows in the walls
Of white.
The stained glass shepherds, mannered and serene
Watch over manicured sheep in unreal green;
A Palestine in England's Winter mist
Of paganism melted into Christ:
But we have earth;
Burning with deep, harsh, brightness like the blood
Of birth.
The saints and martyrs huddle in the porch,
Cluttered for battle to defend the church,
A fortress fierce against the might of sin,
Squat to withstand the evils crowding in:
But we have space;
opening a clear, strong message of good news
To every race.