The fire hovers

Instead of tongues of fire hovering

over heads, anointing apostles

to reach to souls and in so doing

upend an empire, eventually,

blood spilled as the Boarenges boys

learn what is really meant by left

and right, and the stones piling,

pummeling the deacon, and Nero

with his human torches lighting

the gardens on a Roman night,

while the rock writes to encourage

with a light shining in a dark place;

instead the fire hovers on the roof

of the church, of the churches,

illuminating not consuming,

pointing The Way forward.

Photograph by Petr Kratochvil via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.