POEM – LOW VAULTED CEILINGS (BY STRIDER MARCUS JONES) April 10, 2024
within those man stone walls promoting their god bringing us to him i told the priest- you tell us to be content with poverty while you live in this big house throwing us scraps begged from money lenders. this is not what Jesus asked his disciples to do. this is not what he died for. he said live amongst us and share what they have. the priest, red with rage, oppressive and oppressed- pulled my mam aside made her shrink in his stare weep in his words walk me in our sins from his dark-damp house of angels. outside in feral sunshine i pointed to grinning gargoyles chasing chastened shadows back down primitive paths- to a cellar flat, bare bulb dangling prison beam probing baptised flesh and mam tipped tears soaking into straw mattresses sucking up cold from the flagstone floor woodworms eating a Van Gogh table where six mouths sat sharing stale bread and cold beans with whiskered skirting board mice. years later, i left Dedalus in Dublin in the pages of a book to his epiphany and Jesuit suit of guilt- while i quenched my glistening fruit in street light ladies- drenched in smokey curling dancing clouds and stories from voices bouncing off low vaulted ceilings caressing human in darkness.
Bio: Strider Marcus Jones is a poet, law graduate and ex civil servant from Salford/Hinckley, England with proud Celtic roots in Ireland and Wales. A member of The Poetry Society, his five published books of poetry are modern, traditional, mythical, sometimes erotic, surreal and metaphysical http//www.lulu.com/spotlight/stridermarcusjones1. He is a maverick, moving between forests, mountains and cities, playing his saxophone and clarinet in warm solitude.
His poetry has been accepted for publication in 2015 by mgv2 Publishing Anthology; Earl Of Plaid Literary Journal 3rd Edition; Subterranean Blue Poetry Magazine; Deep Water Literary Journal, 2015-Issue 1; Kool Kids Press Poetry Journal; Page-A-Day Poetry Anthology 2015; Eccolinguistics Issue 3.2 January 2015; The Collapsed Lexicon Poetry Anthology 2015 and Catweazle Magazine Issue 8; Life and Legends Magazine; The Stray Branch Literary Magazine; Amomancies Poetry Magazine; The Art Of Being Human Poetry Magazine; Cahaba River Literary Journal; East Coast Literary Review; Nightchaser Ink Publishing Anthology – Autumn Reign; Crack The Spine Literary Magazine; A New Ulster/Anu Issue 27/29/31/32/33/34; Poems For A Liminal Age Anthology; In The Trenches Poetry Anthology; Blue Lines Literary Journal, Spring 2015; Murmur Journal, April 2015; PunksWritePoemsPress-Rogue Poetry; Outburst Poetry Magazine; The Galway Review; The Honest Ulsterman Magazine; Writing Raw Poetry Magazine;The Lonely Crowd Magazine; Section8Magazine; Danse Macabre Literary Magazine; The Lampeter Review; Coda Crab Books-Anthology-Peace:Give It A Chance; Clockwork Gnome:Quantum Fairy Tales; Ygdrasil, A Journal of the Poetic Arts, May 2015 Issue and Don’t Be Afraid: Anthology To Seamus Heaney.
Poets are the forefront of white sun rises, Are the muse and souls of dreams, Are breadth of musicality and precious words, Are the brightest colors of our humanity in a principled civilization.
A powerful poem!
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