Ode to the Gargoyle
by Christian Alexander Barkman
Guardian of the steeple, and the
Precinct sealed within--
More than a mere ornament, you are
A warden. Your inquisition falls
On specters, though mortal
Society is, too, assessed
By way of anxious introspection,
Triggered by your trenchant watch.
And your seat of limestone, on arch or ledge,
Gives broad purview—as your piercing glare
Draws taut, your agitating, unseen barrier.
And your frightful visage: horned and hairy with mane
And tusk, strikes yet more dread,
And doubles unease in all sneaking airy spirits.
Stoney-Principality! Chimeric Monster!
Your gothic maw, devised and shaped
By monkish hands, lives on—perturbing
Souls of earth and air, a warrior in phantom battles.
Precinct sealed within--
More than a mere ornament, you are
A warden. Your inquisition falls
On specters, though mortal
Society is, too, assessed
By way of anxious introspection,
Triggered by your trenchant watch.
And your seat of limestone, on arch or ledge,
Gives broad purview—as your piercing glare
Draws taut, your agitating, unseen barrier.
And your frightful visage: horned and hairy with mane
And tusk, strikes yet more dread,
And doubles unease in all sneaking airy spirits.
Stoney-Principality! Chimeric Monster!
Your gothic maw, devised and shaped
By monkish hands, lives on—perturbing
Souls of earth and air, a warrior in phantom battles.
Christian Alexander Barkman is a PhD student at the University of Tulsa specializing in Renaissance and Restoration Literature. His first poetic work, Of Love and Angels: Poems for My Fiancée (Wipf & Stock, 2023) was written as a love-gift for his wife in celebration of their engagement.