The Difference Between Two Cathedrals

One is restless.

Seen by all, felt by none

A spot on the map

An item on the list

Rushing through, mouthing

“Wow”

But never listening

To the heartbeat

Instead it’s

Loud

No quiet, just voices

Getting louder and louder

Clamor

Inching forward,

Pressed by hoards

Of people—

Sticky, sweaty

Never pausing to embrace

The true identity of this structure

And never have they felt

Less close to God

.

The other is holy.

The sacredness settling

On your skin

The peace sinks in—

Each breath feels

Blessed

But as the light beams

Through the stained glass windows

I almost forget

To breathe

The stillness seeps into me

And echoes between the walls

A haven within the chaos

A rock, in a place of movement

Peace enfolded in each moment,

I feel my soul like a current

I’m swept away

.

One cathedral is famous

The other, unknown

But in the midst of the crowds

Is when I feel more alone

And in the peace, in the silence

Is when I feel like I’m home

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Inspiration:

Recently, we were exploring northern France during our vacation. It was only for three days, just seeing a select few sights. On the last day, we drove back to Paris, and we stopped by a French town called Rouen. We visited one of its several cathedrals, and it became one of my favorites. Not because it was famous. But because it was almost empty. We had the whole, grand and beautiful place to ourselves. A few days later, we went to see Notre Dame, and the difference between this quiet, sacred cathedral in Rouen and the loud, commotion-filled Notre Dame was unbelievable. And then we slipped down a quiet, narrow street and stumbled upon another cathedral, almost empty. That’s where I wrote this poem.

Thanks for reading! If you like this, check out more of my poetry posts!