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Angelus Bells

I look up at the church. Closed for the foreseeable.
A dove - no, a white pigeon files into the top window; eaves?
Followed by a grey pigeon, they coo in unison. Bells ring out in the distance.
Where are they coming from?
"The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary",
He said as he dropped his mother's bags.
Angelus bells, but not quite.
6'o clock.
How can an empty building ring out so strongly?
Pulling me back, my gaze fixed on the light streaming from the window on the right,
Reflected on the floor, bouncing off the pulpit.

Back to the present day - locked door, obstructed view.
Still looking for the dove in the pigeon,
Bright as the morning sun.
10'o clock.
Plucking out every patch of grey,
Every shadow in the light.
Waiting for the time to come for the bells to ring out,
But when they do, will I miss them?
Standing outside the church,
Facing away from the window,
Now on the left.

Right, left to middle.
Backwards or not at all.
Waiting to see which way the bird flies, pigeon or dove?
Half past nine.
"Hail Mary, Mother of God...
Or was it full of grace?"
Past six now, the bells have missed their turn.
Flying home - in the wrong direction,
Slightly disappointed, they were pigeons after all.
Can we be fully content with anything less,
Than the pureness of the white feather?

The Angelus (Latin for "angel") is a Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Christ. The devotion is practised by reciting as versicle and response three Biblical verses narrating the mystery, alternating with the prayer "Hail Mary". The Angelus is usually accompanied by the ringing of the Angelus church bells, which is a call to prayer and to spread goodwill to everyone. source