Manger Fire

a secret passage from the church
down the dark hallway, she
pressed her hands to the
wall mounted cross,

a stairwell
with 27 wooden
stairs descended
to the horse bay, straw
smelled of Rose of Sharon,

a beautiful woman dressed
in jodhpurs seconds after
she stripped her white
collar and habit,

a stable door
opened into a golden
ray of light, horse blinders
shielded the damnable,

a pasture of wild clover seduced an
outing of spectacular flames, the
manger fire burned holy magic,
an alchemical cross
resurrected from
the flames,

another woman
witnessed the outing,
she said the match was
Christ Sulfur born from the
Eucharist,

she rose from the pastor's thighs,
manger fire she spread wider,
pastor pushed her head
down harder, My God,
the horse blinders
are coming off!

© Ms. Sage Sweetwater, firebrand lesbian novelist