The Stone Mason

Only the mason knows the secret flaw

carved into the setting of precious stones

and metal, glorious, reflecting sunlight

and the king’s delight, having built God a home,

domesticated the Wild One, his prize.
Inspired by the whorl and swirl of a wild

flower, the labourer worked his prayer into

the very foundation of the Temple;

a small act of rebellion, under

mining the master’s design,
entreating all that is Holy,

in the language of the free –

the birds of the air, lilies of the field –

to see that which is hidden beneath.

About Rosalind C Hughes

Rosalind C Hughes is a priest and author living near the shores of Lake Erie. After growing up in England and Wales, and living briefly in Singapore, she is now settled in Ohio. She serves an Episcopal church just outside Cleveland. Rosalind is the author of A Family Like Mine: Biblical Stories of Love, Loss, and Longing , and Whom Shall I Fear? Urgent Questions for Christians in an Age of Violence, both from Upper Room Books. She loves the lake, misses the ocean, and is finally coming to terms with snow.
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