Upon this rock
Our cross and spire,
built in a land
of quake and fire.
Fragile as glass,
bright as the air,
the angled walls
folded in prayer.
Under the sun
of western skies,
we re-enact
the sacrifice.
Bread of the earth,
fruit of the vine,
the tortured flesh
revealed divine.
The ancient words
fill this new space,
redeeming us
with unearned grace.
Rededicate
this crystal spire
built in a land
of quake and fire.
Amen.
Dana Gioia is an American poet, literary critic, translator, essayist and libretticist. He served as Chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts and California’s Poet Laureate. Gioia’s poetry has been anthologized in The Norton Anthology of Poetry and The Oxford Book of American Poetry. Dana Gioia’s latest book is a translation of Seneca’s play “Seneca: The Madness of Hercules” published by Wiseblood Books.
