Black Madonna of Czestochowa with a Crown. [Wikimedia Commons.]
Memories of St. Catherine’s
Byzantine imagery … memories
of the nun’s chapel at St. Catherine’s,
where I went to primary school …
a black Madonna in a golden frame,
an ornate, holy scene
– tabernacle, carved wood,
thin wax candles reflecting light
off the rich darkness of the pews.
The mood was deeply reverent there
but cold, and laden with gloom.
I feel like I’ve journeyed my whole life so far
to find that I’m still in this very same room.
Read more from Kevin Densley HERE
Kevin Densley’s latest poetry collection, Isle Full of Noises is available HERE
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About
Kevin Densley is a graduate of both Deakin University and The University of Melbourne. He has taught writing and literature in numerous Victorian universities and TAFES. He is a poet and writer-in-general. His sixth book-length poetry collection, Isle Full of Noises, was published in early 2026 by Ginninderra Press. He is also the co-author of ten play collections for young people, as well as a multi Green Room Award nominated play, Last Chance Gas, published by Currency Press. Other writing includes screenplays for educational films.
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