Gem of the Bayou: St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Paincourtville, LA

In late afternoon light

tainted by scenes in stained glass

creating a subtle rainbow

residual incense wafts

as we walk toward the chancel.

An odor of sanctity

captured in cavernous sanctuary

upward-rising to the rafters.

Largest building in dwindling town

stretched along straight roads

between the canebreaks

and the occasional refinery

along bending banks of ever-widening river

the Gem of the Bayou reminds of a reality

transcending the fields and marshes

that stretch between the Gulf and Baton Rouge.