Washington Cathedral

The Gothic tradition mandates
an invasion of the sky by arched and spired
piles of stone.

Here is the sky's revenge,
as it invades, pervades this pile of stones,
stones filled with blue shadow-light,
laced with dark windows

where the solemnity inside tries to sally out
into the besieging daylight, where
the infusion of light and stone
we call a Cathedral threatens

to cut loose from its anchor of awe
and ascend, drift away, slowly melting
into the intricate towering clouds,

leaving a grassy space and a little car
alone in the sun, not sure what's changed.

Dean Blehert