'Stained' Glass

Image:  Galway Cathedral, Galway, Ireland 2006

As broken shards fall to the ground

the artist scores another round;

envisions template in his head,

has chosen favorite color, red.

Burnt copper casings fold around

the broken shards spread on the ground;

with heated flash and burst of light

he engineers into night.

Designed to give the most impact,

meticulous in every fact--
these broken shards spread on the ground

create a picture quite profound.

The finished image triggers tears,

and mem'ries that will live for years...

this craftsman’s work now world-renowned

from broken shards left on the ground.

© Ginny Brannan July 2012
*Dedicated to all of the "broken shards" from Aurora, CO this week, and to all families whose lives have been shattered by violence.

**In the making of a stained glass window, first a template is created, then the glass is scored and shaped to fit the template. The glass is held together by H-shaped cames in lead or copper that are bent and heat soldered to hold the glass and  create the finished image. When I learned of the tragedy, I listened to the first hand accounts of a flash, smoke, those closest being burned by hot copper casings as they rained around them. Images of the victims as 'broken shards' haunted my thoughts. Hence, this metaphoric piece came to be. 
Sharing at d'Verse Poets Open Link Night Week 54.