To be able to say
One Ave or soft
Pater Noster prayer
Without some thought or
Colourful image
Come creeping into
The brain, or to kneel
In prayer in church or
Chapel without some
Stark memories of
Childhood seeping through
The cracks between hands
Held tight together
In a praying mode,
Causes Sister Clare
To close her eyes and
Pause as best she can
The other world she
Knew from breaking through.
Association
Of ideas and bare
Images and words
Link upon link each
Time you think, she knows,
Feeling the hard stone
Beneath aching knees,
The cramp in her thighs
And the polished words
Formed and attempted
In holy prayer, rise
Like balloons into
The chilled incensed air.
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