“THE CHURCH OF THE LOCKDOWN, THE LULL AND THE ESCAPE TO THE CATACOMBS” Part 2

An epic poem (in 4 parts), by Crusader Will

Part 2 of 4.

The Reformer’s remarkably quiet:

Saint Peter’s piazza deserted

But don’t suppose a dearth of riot

Betokens a head-on clash averted.

The State meanwhile hints at Level Two.

The faithful feel a surge of hope –

Dashed, once numbers-allowed comes through,

It’s ten per session. Can priests cope?

Roster jinks Zoom-daunt parish leaders.

Priests can’t say twenty Sunday masses.

Hand-not-tongue fuss pre-empts fast feeders.

Who dares test-drive uphill molasses?

Catholics may not of course come back

En-masse. The Claytonesque may have served

To make the telly-watch change-of-tack

Suit the liturgically-unnerved.

In which case, there’s no Real-Presence crowd

For the Reformer to test live

His changes on, unless they’ve allowed

Home comforts to dull their sense of ‘hive

Of activity’ under one roof

In one large room that’s essential church.

There’s nothing like being kept aloof

To kill togetherness as goal-search..

Contagion’s still around, and people

May still be mad enough for the tried

And true to demarcate the steeple

As the focus for communal pride.

But in due course things may settle down

And cause priest and layman to go back

To ignorance as the source of the renown

That makes popes deciders of ‘right track’.

Published by