Photo: detail of ceiling at the church of St Germain des Prés, Paris. [Mr G]

One of my pastimes is to be a ‘groupie’ with a local choir which includes friends. Last weekend we went to Paris where they presented two concerts and a musical involvement in the Saturday Mass at St Sulpice. It is currently acting as the Cathedral whilst Notre Dame is being restored. At the first concert, in the church of St Germain des Prés, some of the sopranos noticed a spider hovering over the choir as they sang. It had travelled quite a distance from the ceiling but by the end of the concert, it had disappeared. So I wrote this poem….

 A Spider goes to a Concert.

Down came the Spider  
Abseiling intrepidly,
hanging by its own thread,
precariously, from the church roof.
It stops.
Hovering over music ascending
from collective voices.
Sounds made by practiced singers.
“Look, a Spider”, a soprano points out
between pieces.
but the Concert builds to its
final crescendo.
No time to spend on Spiders.
As the music fades,
the concert ends and the Spider
is gone.

Not a Spider at all,
but an Angel,
taking up the music to heaven,
for God to enjoy!

[Mr. G.]

Inspired by a spider who came to a concert by
The Felicitas Choir at the church of St Germain des prés
Paris. 27^th Oct 2022)

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