St. James, Avebury 13 October 2018 How many who have entered here have found what they were seeking? Safety, peace, salvation, communion, hope, direction, inspiration? We two, who simply want to look around, open the heavy wooden door set in the Saxon archway leading to the nave enlarged by Normans, whose descendants gave the rood a loft and screen, considered sin- ful later and removed but now restored. Immediately we feel like trespassers: a woman mopping floors of stone deters our passage. Greetings given, we turn toward the altar, bend or bow, then say a prayer as scent of minted cleanser fills the air.
Jane Blanchard lives and writes in Georgia (USA). Her work has recently appeared in Allegro, Light, Pulsebeat, and Snakeskin. Her collections include Never Enough Already (2021) and Sooner or Later (2022).
Amethyst Review 