Tintern Church

Old Tintern Church

by Charles E S Fairey

Above Tintern an old church stands

Nature has taken St Mary’s back

With white witches and their almanac.

Trees and shrubs now stand praying

With east window stone tracery

A wiccan white witch’s ceremonial fantasy.

With tower doorway stone cross above

Old door and holy water bowl

Now magicians enter with wiccan soul.

Here Mother Nature has reclaimed

Her place among modern Wye

And Tintern below, St Mary’s on high.

Here the Goddess lives and breathes

Climbing ivy and growth abounds

Up the walls and about grave grounds.

To travel here steep cobbles you walk

To the ruinous church and wooded hill above

And below Old Tintern Abbey, monastic love.

Obelisk shaped tomb covered in green

Church with east end gable and iron cross

Open vault and stone walls with moss.

Stood standing over Abbey and Wye

Commanding all who love Pagan

St Mary’s beckoning mystic Morgan.

Such a fire laid waste to Mary’s

Nineteen Seventy Seven

After Mary’s became a Wiccan beacon.

Here spells cast by White Witch

And ceremonies once more dominate

Goddess and Nature with stone germinate.

Here stories of white witches spread

Where once Christian worship ruled

Now pagan initiates in rites schooled.

Looking out from ancient seat of Wales

Over Abbey and serpent Wye

Across this valley the Wiccans spirits fly

Out across all of this sacred land

From this church built by masons hand

Here Mother Nature rules

Over St Mary’s and all her ghouls.

Above Tintern this old church stands

Nature has taken St Mary’s back

With white witches and their almanac.