There is a small Roman household god (a Lar) on display at the Guildhall Museum in Rochester that found its way back out of the dark after several hundred years.
This is something I wrote about it for the ‘Ten Songs for a Lar’ project.
It seems right to share it on Super Saturday.
subtidal channels
by the unsure foreshore of future Frindsbury
we collapsed slowly into the wine and blasted
chalk worshipping the hours we had lost
other selves will attempt to quarry your secrets
test you see if you are worthy to be saved
awaken you to praise and interrogation
moving on unshielded to the living breeze
you return to your work as a god uncorrupted
still not quite certain if it’s safe to bare all
not cemented in time subtidal channels
will cut bronchi into the mud mute
they will wash back answering only to the moon
just believe
© Graham Palmer 2020
This poem was included in ‘Poetry and Covid’, a project funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, University of Plymouth, and Nottingham Trent University. Visit Subtidal Channels (poetryandcovid.com)