Monastic caves of Kalishta,
stone crevasses of solitude
on bare floors
a monk’s prayer in worldly denial –
Inside St Holy Virgin
candles lit, temjan drifts
icon of Madonna
plunged leagues under Lake Ohrid
protection from the looters of war.
She arose from a watery bed
with a charcoal patina,
sediments of history
plaintive in her call of duty
she waits
as infertile pilgrims
leave gifts.
‘Temjan’ is the Macedonian word for ‘frankincense.’