Haven
Coming from the south of the Tyne
Or North of Newcastle
Or coming from not knowing where
Or being lost, totally lost
St Nicholas meets your eyes
The lace tower, the aureate clock
The chime of bonny bells
Beckoning to you: it is the time.
Time to lay your burden on the ground
Time for silence
Time for pause
A present time
The threshold is dim
Like entering a womb
Entering the oath of rebirth
A place for hope, a place for the dead,
A place for hope over death
Overcoming death
And when the choir come
In red and white
Drag down the upside-down ship
And let the waves of songs
Take you to your beginnings
Once the soprano sailed me to Shiraz
Where the eternal love songs
Turn your grapes to the richest wine.
Praise the Lord with the harp
With the lyre
Dance to Rumi’s songs of love
Dance to His perfect beauty
Dance with Him in this most northern Cathedral
Altar to altar
Chapel to chapel
Dance the Resurrection of the Dead
The light through stained glass
Reflects on the wood carvings and
Sits on the memorials
The characters come to life and soon
You will be part of the Northern stories:
You are the Raven, sitting on St Oswald’s hand
S.S. Mauritania sails you to the timeless shores
And the Unknown Knight
Tells you his tales of Northumbrian battles
Come to the
Peace
Break your pen, tear your paper
He is here, no word is needed
Mandan M-Ghoyonloo is a Creative Writer PhD candidate at Newcastle University. Originally from Iran she writes in Persian and English. Her publications include a translation of Paul Auster’s novel, Leviathan, and poems in Modern Poetry in Translation. Her collection of poems in Persian Ragh Rooy e Tanab (Dancing on the Rope) was published in London.