I Find Myself

It’s early morning and I find myself alone
on empty sidewalks outside a grand cathedral
as an open door beckons me in

To my surprise, I’m the only soul inside
natural light shines through the gothic columns
illuminating the Cathedral of Seville

Deep within this holy place
I find myself in awe of my surroundings
and the faith of those who undertook its construction

I find myself in deep admiration
of the visionaries who undertook a project
that would not be completed in their lifetime

I’m not a religious person
although this place instills a religion of its own
I find myself worshiping its builders

They say mankind’s buildings
are a reflection of what is most important
architects tasked with bringing it to life

I find myself embarrassed
by man celebrating the sport stadiums of today
and the skyscrapers of last century

Did mankind peak twenty generations ago
building structures so grand they have no modern equal
I lose myself thinking this might be true

——

All images of the Cathedral of Seville, said to be the largest gothic church and 4th largest of all churches ever built, taken by Ron Rowland during the morning of September 27, 2021.

——

Linked to dVerse ~ Poets Pub Poetics: In The Light of Other Days, where Dora is is hosting and challenged us to write about an epiphany with rhetorical sensitivity.

21 thoughts on “I Find Myself”

  1. I find myself wondering the same, Ron. Where did all those magnificent expressions of soaring thoughts, moving upwards in celebration and worship, disappear to in our modern architectural souls? Those great cathedrals sanctify a place that speak to yearnings outside of ourselves by their very grandeur, as you say: “Deep within this holy place/I find myself in awe of my surroundings/and the faith of those who undertook its construction” What an achievement!

    1. I have now been in dozens of these magnificent cathedrals and abbeys constructed in bygone eras. My thoughts are always the same — “they sure don’t build ’em like this anymore”

  2. Starlingsson l'ermite

    Such an interesting poem….very well-written….worshipping the builders…what a nice idea. There have been some strongly-themed poems this week, including this one..

  3. Amazing indeed. And I cannot, just cannot help noting, how your words and thoughts sound East-esque. Throwing out a (fishing) net—Questioning and pulling it back in praising the builders of those glorious places that make even a non religious man find religion and connection in the place. It’s close to a life of awareness

  4. … wasn’t done.
    Anyway, yes. Love this finding of your soul in this incredibly lovely thought process you made me privy to. And that photo— sheesh. Mesmerizing. Thanks for sharing. Lovely.

    1. Such kind and thoughtful words Selma. The top (feature) photo was actually taken from our apartment window — I dare say, we had the best apartment in all of Seville.

  5. I experienced something much like this decades ago in a small rustic church in the south of England … I never want to forget the emotion that flooded me. Cheers, Ron.

  6. But don’t forget La Sagrada Familia is still being built! There aren’t many to rival it though. A beautiful portrayal of this architectural masterpiece.

    1. Yes, I’m surprised at the quantity of churches and abbeys that took 300-400 years to build. Based on that, La Sagrada Familia is still in its early stages.

  7. Very nicely written!This sounds really deep. Modern miracles of construction are still rivaled by archaic ones.. take the Iron Pillar for example,it has not rusted for over 1600 years since its construction! And such marvelous metallurgy behind it.. 🙂

    1. I think priorities are a major factor: today, cost seems to be the priority, whereas beauty and grandeur were the priorities once upon a time.

  8. Seville with it’s awesome architecture is one of my favourite cities, and I appreciate your reflections … we’ve lost the ability to build beauty!

Leave a Comment