there's a nightclub where the church used to be.
that's what happens when attendance is down
and electro swing is up – a natural

evolution, whatever the book of genesis or 
the local parish community group might say. 
it's not much different – thursdays

to saturdays are the sacrament,
a communion of 2-for-1 Jaeger bombs and boutique shots 
with names like brain haemorrhage and 

total forgiveness. tuneless chanting, organs
pulsing, people looking for somewhere to leave
their sins for a little while.

the stained glass is still there –
history is like blood, wine, your tongue
against mine. it's hard to wash out.

Henry St Leger is a poet and technology reporter based in London. Their work has been featured in Ambit, Agenda, bind, and the Live Canon International Poetry Prize Anthology. They also contributed a series of couplets to the murder mystery video game, Overboard!, which released in 2021.