the priest gilded in a white and gold chasuble

quoted some antique prayers from the good book

and a tiny fragment of light

peered through an oculus in the cupola of the cathedral

and fell to earth like a blessing

then moved slowly on the marble

as if under the directions of the purposeful sun in its rotations

a solemn ritual unfolding before the assemblage of penitents

every one of whom genuflected at that precise moment

as if a child at baptism might speculate

concerning his future as a man of holy orders