once we fell to the ground
and worshiped
transmuted creatures
the mermaid harp-serenading
a griffin and his dragon
links in this chain forged
by historians and mythmakers
we politely admire
duly signposted rubble
in a city that sold its stained glass
waiting on summer rivers
of temporarily willing
believers
Last Friday afternoon, I took a stroll through the town of Boppard (on the Rhine River)…I am still puzzling over the frescoes of mythical creatures inside St. Severus church. And dear Jenifer, I borrowed a phrase or two from your lovely poem.