Dark Icons, Holy Relics

They're preconceived, they're precious, and held dear.
By holding fast, I limit what I share.
I bury them, to hide them in my fear
Of losing what I treasure, what I bear.
Unlike most precious stones and golden rings,
That I acquire by purchase or by gift,
I helped create my trove of sacred things,
And keep them to myself in silent thrift.
Sometimes they draw, and sometimes they repel,
Their dark allure is murder to resist.
I fear I can't convince my mind to dwell,
Outside the pale of my most sacred list.
The myths and prejudices deep in there,
Are arrant holy relics in my care.

Mick McKellar
August 2017

How often we talk of prejudices and preferences as though they are easily removed, adjusted, and reinstalled at will. Many are so well hidden we cannot see them, and so well integrated we rarely, barely resist their allure, their brutal force. Little wonder that when challenged, our first thought is to defend them to the last. True now, as it was in May 2003.

Mick