Revelation
Five Sisters Window, York Minster
Five dull strips against dull stone.
I almost turned my back
to embrace the fixed kaleidoscope
of the Rose Window filtering
midday; almost missed
the gradual unveiling.
Black defining lines leap forward,
picking out a regulated pattern:
five columns of geometric order.
Muted as moon cloud, colour breaks:
splash of red, patch of amber,
glint of burning cobalt.
Close to, the horizontals loom,
straddling steel saddle bars
taking the strain, like
the rungs of five celestial ladders
leading to heaven
or – maybe –
barring the way.