We went to the Fraumunster

In Zurich

To see Marc Chagall’s

Stained glass windows.

They were wondrous, luminous

But the 1250 year history

Of worship

At this place

Was stunning.

 

The crypt pointed

To its 9^thcentury founding

As did the mural of the original abbesses

On the wall of the transept.

 

But I was moved to tears

By Mary’s chapel.

Not by its grandeur

But by its peace

Which cracked open

My heart

Walled in by fear and control

 

The spell was broken

By other visitors

My desire to stay there physically

Can be slaked

By a heart

Opened by contemplation

To acting out of love.

 

Doing so will be the trick