By Lawrence “Mack in Texas” Hall (Rated G)
Where the Altar is Not (In a Time of Locked Churches)
Where the Altar is not, it still must be
Beneath the sacred dust of Walsingham
Where the Altar is not, it still must be
Heart-hidden, even if we have forgotten
Where the Altar is not, it still must be
In a mother’s prayers for her errant sons
Where the Altar is not, it still must be
Somewhere in the ruins of a holy house
Where the Altar is not, it still must be
In the sunlit chapels of English verse
Where the Altar is not, it still must be
In Our Lady’s loving care – and so are we
CAUTION Yellow CAUTION Tape CAUTION At CAUTION The CAUTION Last CAUTION Supper CAUTION
Trinity Sunday – a cosmic leap indeed
From the second week in Lent until now
We bless ourselves with holy chemicals
And the awkward elbow-bump of peace
25% capacity in the Upper Room
Between each disciple an empty chair
And yellow CAUTION tape here and there
As Jesus lifts His mask to speak the Eucharist
But after three months, how wonderful
To be invited to the Table again
Stupid Mask Stupid Stupid Mask
The stupid mask I wore the stupid mask
To Mass this morning stupid mask it stank
Of chemicals stupid mask and fogged my glasses
I felt stupid wearing that stupid mask
(You look stupid anyway, old man)
The stupid mask I didn’t like the way
It muffled everything, that stupid mask
And with my foggy glasses stupid mask
I felt detached from Word and Eucharist
(Don’t blame the mask for your lack of focus)
But the mask, after all, is not about me:
It’s about the frail and sickly, you see
(Who’s a good boy, then!)
LogoSophia Magazine 