He Said
"The ineluctable modality of the visible
At least that if no more
Thought through my eyes
Introibo ad altare Dei" (James Joyce)
Along Sandymount strand we dandered
To the Martello tower we went
Saecula Seculorum
There he stood in all his ineluctable indestructible sodality
The buck solid certainty of it all
Towering,  glowering,  shaver and mirror crossed
Come up, come up you fearful Jesuit
He said
Who said? He Said
James
Rejoice, rejoice
Hallelujah
He said
Too late too late will be the cry
When the man with the cheap rope passes by
Saecula Seculorum, Saecula Seculorum
See the visibility of the ineluctable modality
Plain to see
Hear
The inescapable sodality of the audible
There
Now the dead can hear it
 Listen
A sailor's cry
The nearing tide
Rusty boot
Das boot
I hear it
From Bray to Combray
Crunch crunch underfoot
I hear it
Here
At Sandymount
Across four rivers to Glasnevin
Finality assured
Boxed, sealed, delivered
Signed for, prayed for, prayed over and
Outside the barleycorn golding in the lowing summer sun
Again and again
Heavenly odours, terrible, thurible
Brass barque of Peter
Shake it,  shake it
Purify and stupify
Eyes drawn high to glass and lead
Dreams were dreamt in marble halls
It all comes to this?
Petering patering
Sixteen hooves a-clattering
Peter pader consubstantial with the patris
And the filii and the spiritu sanctis
Eyes closed for the transubstantiated mien host
Bells a ringing Kryie Eleison
That's it done dusted
The hurt blessed
The blesse hurt
Asses to ashes
Must to dust
Dusty musty
No mercy here
Misereri nobis all you like
The gods are deaf
No room for heirs here
Flowers in bloom
Flowers in flowers out
Blumen flowers
Flowers and tears
Petals pleura
Pitter patter Peter Pater
Who is the man in the macintosh?
The mystery man
A banshee's man
A mantree miss
Mister man 
Liturgical surgical
Father, doctor,
Sullivan, the one eye hawk eye
Run run
Winged biscuit tin
Missa missal missile
Missed
Thank God for Cunningham
Give the man his due
Catechisms out
Lover and lout
Trinity in one paragraph
That's a job for a Jesuit
He said
Faith hope and charity
The three fallen who ares
Kyrie Eleison thrice three bells
Whackety whack goes wee Doc
He said
'Too late too late will be the cry
When the man with the cheap rope passes by'
Per ipsum et cum ipso et in ipso.

Saecula Saeculorum

Composed & recorded by Kevin McAlea

Copyright ...... K.McAlea 2012