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How can I pray in such grandeur?
I am but a fallen soul
A beggar on my knees
Upon such marble
I might freeze
And above the intricate canopy
Mocks and chides me
I do not belong

A simple chapel would suit me best
In some small town
Smaller than my soul
But here within
Such splendour
Can I hide the sin
That weighs me down
Or will I drown?

Parishioners frown
And turn their heads away
I hear the words unspoken
What their silences say
That I am trespassing now
Upon a world too rich for me
Till I am more a sinner
By degrees
I cannot please
A god who stands upon the throne
That this great vista owns
So let me fall
To broken knees
Till I’m drowning
By degrees

(c) Helen Valentina 2019