Kathleen Chambers has a beautiful family of six boys. She lives in a remote town that still has many buildings from the old western days. Ever since she can remember she loved to read and write stories. During her college years she took several creative writing courses, which she enjoyed very much. Her other passion is photography. Many years, she ran her own business taking family holiday photos and weddings. She likes to capture moments in time of a variety of sorts, from old barns, to old west buildings, to scenery.
The photo on the cover is by Kathleen Chambers.
Cathedral
By Stephanie Mesler
Ornament Photo by Kathleen Chambers
There is a cathedral in these woods
At the top of a frozen mountain
At the end of a narrow and rutted road.
Ice laden branches shelter the path.
Cleated boots grip the slope.
Wool encases extremities.
Foggy breath precedes me.
There are sounds in these woods:
Whispers of falling snow,
The brush of hooves in powder.
Clouds wrap the world in cotton,
Muffling voices, which,
On a warmer day,
Would echo down the hill.
In the cathedral in these woods,
There is no priest.
There are no sacrificial lambs.
Metamorphosis is the norm.
No bells need sound transfiguration;
No raised up host required
To create collective hope.
They are gathered in these woods,
The people of the forest.
They cluster at the top,
Close to the sky,
Closer to their Gods.
They sing prayers for Spring
And offer thanksgivings for Winter’s rest.
About the Author
Stephanie Mesler is the author of Soul Hill Lullabies (poetry), Ermengarde The Expansive (fairy tale), Adventures and Confessions of a Fat Lady Who Sings (memoir), and Love Lines (poetry TBR January 2014). Mesler is a former music instructor, actor and singer. Now she writes full time and her works can be found in print and on the web. Her blog is https://wwwAPoetsProgress.com