Icon
An icon circumscribed
by crepuscular sanctuary,
. sober
slatted roof, mud wall—
a trapped butterfly
colors the slightness.
The lamplit aerie
inhabits geography:
antiphons, tempera,
archaic stanchions,
and finally, an elevated
wine-bearer, victor,
gilded. All-teacher, cover
Your unendurable transfiguration
in nectar, pomegranates, cloud.
Carpenter of isolation,
attentively ignite the nocturnal
presence, and anoint us
. in Your immeasurable harmony.
.
Charles Haddox lives in El Paso, Texas. He has worked in fair trade marketing, and as a grant writer and community organizer. His poetry has appeared in Commonweal, America, The Christian Century, and San Pedro River Review.
