I find you in the hollow nave, Where every echo digs a grave. You hide your breath between the pews, Wearing faith like a borrowed bruise. My footsteps stir the organ dust, On pipes that scream from years of rust. You clutch the beads until they bite, I only listen to your fright. You thought these walls were sanctuary, A holy shield for the unwary. But saints were bought with quiet screams, This altar feeds on failed dreams. This is my bloodstained litany, Your heartbeat keeps the time for me. Every tremor on your knees Is spoken in a tongue that pleads. You call this place a house of light, I taste the cracks beneath its white. Every prayer you try to hide Turns to wine I drink inside. Here the gilding hides the cracks, Gold on rotting choir racks. Priests have waged their silent wars On softer throats than yours before. I don’t defile this hallowed air, I just collect what’s traded there. Blood for silence, sin for sleep, Mercy sold a little steep. When my shadow climbs your skin, When my breath is closing in, You’ll learn how holy teeth can be When they rewrite your liturgy. If you trust the cross above To break this hunger into love, Know I’m only singing free What this altar asked of me. This is my bloodstained litany, You’re the choir bound to me. Every shiver, every plea Falls in time beneath my teeth. You call this place a house of light, But it prays in minor spite. Every heartbeat you let slip Is communion on my lips.
