Dei Mundus Deo

There were three buildings.
The old red brick building
with the wooden staircase
had one loose step
where the plank gave a little
every time you stepped on it.

The new green building
in the middle.
All brick and mortar.
No wooden steps. No loose planks.
The doors were a pale yellow.
The staircase very matter of fact
like a hospital’s.
The top floor was the chapel.
Pews, paintings, and a piano.
The stage had three chairs,
arranged from shortest to tallest.
Each had a cross on it.

The old building used to be
red. Until it was too painted green,
its bricks covered with paint
to hide its age.
There was a marble slab in the wall
On which it was engraved:
“Dei Mundus Deo”