Dawn

Oasis of dead leaves and lichen,
A churchyard squats, oblivious
To the mundane order
Encircling its silent dwellers.

She once came here in darkness,
Consumed by romance,
The desire to dissolve in ice crystals,
In gaseous wraiths rising from the earth.
The night, her blindfold,
Shielded her from steel and plastic,
Inches away.

Now light trickles in
Through the branches and railings,
The day overtakes her.
She sees this little patch of ground,
Common as any.
She leaves.

An angel in grimy silhouette
Hails the rusty gasworks,
Tense and breathless, as if
Beholding the face of God
With granite eyes.