When We Were There

By Richard Mather

When we were there

in the crooked hell

of that scarlet and black room,

the world was a useless idol

broken and beyond repair.

But now we are here,

in the cosy tabernacle

of this bright asylum,

the world seems a god

who brings the sun into being.

The location of that old place,

is hidden by a heavy veil,

like the one in the temple;

the boundary between

heaven and earth.