prompt: knees skinned in prayer
i am the holy flame burning in san marco
and the righteous blood spilled on marble floors
i am the voices of boys priests like to touch
and their bodies, lying broken beneath the pews
i am the forsaken, knees skinned in prayer
and the words that promised to save you
i am the sacred storm that breaks
and the women who dance in the street as it rains
i am the fingers that clutch at the rosary
and the light that will set fire to the darkness
i am the god to which you pray
i am the thorn - but do not forget i was once a rose