Chasuble

In the mountains north of Greece,
an old and famous monastery;
we talk to Father Sofronii,
who dreams obsessively of flight:

'I'm twenty-three.
Here, people enter monasteries
for three reasons -
love of God;
because their families
can't afford to school them;
or driven by distractions
of the flesh, forbidden
predilections...
Neither the first nor third
applies to me.'

He eyes my teenage daughter
longingly, praying silently
for wings to sprout
and help him flee,
casting off his chasuble
of doubt like Ikaros,
exchanging black
for shards of fire,
his unattainable desire.