An erasure poem created from ‘The Last of the Knights Templar. A Poem, With historical notes.’ by Thomas Billington (1866)
by Steven McCabe
Memory scorns the hand
In sweet response to heaven
Fame outlives
Mighty hearts
Earth and sea obey
The blood of many a son
Tarnished in liberty
An offended sky
Hoarsely sung,
Shadows wear the crowns
The conquering sons of
Neptune’s vaunted eye,
His dinted blade
The echoes sing,
Your faith of obedience
Like snow flakes
Comets of heaven
March on to glory,
No tongue shall number
A calm blue ocean
The glorious dead
Came upon the sea
Omen’d
The tide of that deep abyss
Struck by the Templars’ sword
Each vaunted knight
An inspiring heaven
One vast clay sun
Now morning emerald
Enchantment’s radiant form
In desolation’s train –
Her last revenge
The cherished isle of steel
A soldier’s bed –
Paradise
Goes terribly forth
The black herald of sorrow
Reeking in dying cadence
Linger on the carnival
Look on the headless brothers
Your work of hate
Maddening
A whirlwind’s Autumn on helmets clashing
Deaden the pangs of a soldier’s doom
Onward Templars press
A frenzied rite
On condor’s wing a cold embrace
Thunder blackening the lament
A winding sheet
Like seafroth
His swollen veins darkening
Hail our Queen!
The edge upon our lips
Mockeries
Wading in a fiery grave
Each convent bell
Joy
No seabird to warn the boatman
A fairy thing –
The whiteness of her sail
Raptures your lonely shore
Whispery the void
Nature a weary scene
Not a sigh escaped
Laugh of vacancy
Babylon’s lustful day
The night grown weary
All was still
The chains savage
The (original) 56 page poem is a retelling of history & loaded with glorification of battle & cultural/religious point of view, details of woe and foe, and the ecstasy of triumphs. It’s really quite the technicolour blockbuster epic. Followed by almost 30 pages of historical text. I found it when I was looking for a connection between the Knights Templar and limestone (believe it or not). Two things happened simultaneously: I was skimming an old Canadian educational book called ‘Pioneer Arts and Crafts’ written by Edwin G. Guillet, M.A. (dedicated to Marguerite Guillet Brooks – Designer, Thread Workers Guild of America) and reading a fascinating section about ‘Lime – Burning.’ At the same time I had a digital image, rather ‘knight-ish,’ which I wanted to use with a poem. I began to imagine Marguerite sewing silk tassels for a knight’s helmet. And somehow, well, it all came together. My ‘erasing’ was done fairly quickly, like snapshots, grabbing a few impressions.
poemimage 
heavy and complex poem – needed a few rereads – your images fit the mood completely especially with the erasing process but also they stand beautifully on their own…
Hi John, Thank you for your thoughts. Yes, I suddenly wondered why in the world I chose this ornate, rumbling, heavy freight train of a poem to ‘erase.’ Possibly because it is echoing the past we replay (sadly) over and over, foolishly? I don’t know exactly. The Knights Templer have some sort of resonance though…a heretical mysticism, unless that is romanticized…one comes across references to them in the most obscure and unlikely places…
First of all, Steven, I love that you were looking for a connection between Knights Templar and limestone, and I am curious as to what you have uncovered- limestone seems incredibly pervasive naturally and spiritually. Secondly I think you chose your poem well -and your edit included.
I was fascinated watching the yellow glow in the “knight’s” chest glowing then vanishing then glowing again. I found myself nearly jumping in my chair (like when you start to fall asleep and catch yourself awake) when it would re-emerge and feeling a burning in my own chest. The rich and beautiful imagery of the poem lumbering towards pain and darkness matched with your monolithic knight glowing, dieing, bleeding, fading, decorated (with an apple where the blood was), etc. is like the memory of the earth (limestone, maybe?).
Hi Jack,
I love your interpretation of the knight’s human process being like the memory of the earth & limestone itself.
I don’t think I twigged into that. Just sensed something & worked at visual (visualizing) representation.
I re-viewed my post from two angles in your comment the apple/red stain image and the glowing ‘crest’ (?) image. I followed the images up and down and saw the entire sequence of images differently. To be honest I originally didn’t pace, or space, the movement with those two areas specifically in mind. Not knowingly. And I spent hours (!) reworking sizing/colour balance arranging to get it ‘right.’ Some sort of ‘apprehending’ pushing towards the surface from the subconscious and you’ve alerted me to a new understanding.
I remember we discussed limestone once before in relationship to a Colin Carberry poem and I’ve wondered about it since. I’m going to keep looking into it. Perhaps also in terms of geomancy.
The physical sensations you describe make me think you took an elevator down to the limestone right through the knight’s heart. Something you remembered or knew already. The whole idea seems bigger to me now than it did before. Or, conversely, maybe smaller. Like some sort of space mass where a grain of sand is too heavy to lift.
I’ve read this everyday for the first time.
Thank you Heather. I’m glad to hear that. And I appreciate the thought and focus you put into your visit(s) and comment.