Embedded In His Window†
He has a mad look ... he's schizophrenic.
His hydrahair (dried-up after heavy sweating)
curls, graywhite, circling a crooked ear
& flat nose.
His eyes stare wildly
from thin layers, craftily coloured,
of expensive glass.
They search hourly
(he never sleeps) the way-down dark floor
- each chapel & transept - where maybe unbroken
the beloved body of his brother hides.
God the Lord YAHWEH surrounds him... above,
below & beside him...
Permanently imprisoned by the artist
he's here safe above the altar.
†Cain’s face in a cathedral east window.
Note
There is a growing sympathy & many excuses for Cain, who is thought to be mad - a divided personality.
One feels that perhaps the memory of his crime, & his separation from God who is nevertheless close beside him, & his perpetual imprisonment in God's house, will in themselves be a sufficient cure for him.
[But perhaps these Cains are too numerous & too diverse for such simple treatment, & maybe Abel should be consulted.]