THE SHRINE, by Wade GermanThe elders of our clan believe the shrine
Has stood here since before the dawn of man;
It broods there blackly, palpably malign—
A place forbidden by a tribal ban.
To whom the shrine was raised remains unknown—
To god or demon, or some nameless saint;
An aura of the darkly sacrosanct
Ensures the eerie shrine is left alone.
In darker ages, there were chosen few
Who therein sought the mystery enshrined;
But only one of them to us returned,
To preach a gospel alien and new…
And he and all his acolytes were burned
For knowing things not meant for human minds.
