Windows on the
soul
Richard by Carol Ann Duffy
My bones, scripted in light, upon cold soil,
a human braille. My skull, scarred by a crown,
emptied of history. Describe my soul
as incense, votive, vanishing; your own
the same. Grant me the carving of my name.
These relics, bless. Imagine you re-tie
a broken string and on it thread a cross,
the symbol severed from me when I died.
The end of time – an unknown, unfelt loss –
unless the Resurrection of the Dead …
or I once dreamed of this, your future breath
in prayer for me, lost long, forever found;
or sensed you from the backstage of my death,
as kings glimpse shadows on a battleground.
Describe my soul………….
‘This is what I think my spirit looks like. I picked
greens, purples and blues because I am very calm. I
put scribbles on my picture of my spirit because I am
untidy. I don’t get angry easily so I didn’t choose reds
or oranges.’
A spiritually reflective 8 year old
Windows On the Soul
FW age 10, Edmund Waller Primary School
When you look
to your soul,
to your heart,
what do you see?
'Love or hate?
Confidence or prejudice?
If there was
a window to your soul,
all your feelings
would be free
for the world to see.
Would you be proud
of them,
or simply disappointed?
When you think,
truly think,
thoughts come
from your heart,
rather than your brain.
When you look
to sell your soul,
you will see
your true personality,
use your opportunity
to shine.
Look to your soul and see
Whoever you want to be.
Leicester Cathedral’s King
Richard III inspired
stained glass windows
In the left hand light of the
westerly window we see the
aftermath of a battle, women
approaching the dead and dying:
‘what doth the Lord require of
thee but to do justly and to love
mercy’ (Micah 6:8). This could
be Bosworth, but here and
elsewhere the figures and
spaces are generic rather than
historic; place and time are not
pinned down.
Further up, a horse is led
through the streets of a city,
the body of a man slung over
its back (just as was done to
Richard III after Bosworth).
Some citizens are full of
mockery: ‘The scorners
delight in their scorning’
(Proverbs 1:22). But beyond
is a suggestion of two spires,
St Martins, perhaps, where
Richard’s body found
sanctuary: ‘In your dwelling
you keep them safe’ (Psalm
31:20)
The right hand light is about
hidden-ness and being known,
about death and burial, but
‘before I formed you in the womb
I knew you, and before you were
born I consecrated you’ (Jeremiah
1:5). People are passing to and fro
by two rose bushes, whose roots
infiltrate the ground, a ground
representing layers of time and
stories, and containing the bones
of one long hidden. Artefacts of
succeeding periods are embedded
in the earth – ‘Awake and sing, ye
that dwell in dust, for thy dew is
as the dew of herbs and the earth
shall cast out the dead’ (Isaiah
26:19)
In the central light,
these themes of
carnage and death, of
humiliation, and of
burial and sanctuary,
are gathered into an
encounter with the
risen Christ: two
disciples, walking on
the road to Emmaus,
meet the as yet
unknown figure of
Jesus.
Fishing For Faith – Virtues For My Soul
Hornby St Margaret
We wanted to create a special window in
school that is a constant reminder that God is
always with us.
How can we keep God in our soul?
We thought Christian values would really help
us to feel God's presence. If we remember
God's values in our hearts we can create a
world that is not lonely, chaotic and unhappy.
We can be a better friend to God as well as
ourselves and others. Our windows are telling
us, keep God close.
We are all one in Christ Jesus, and our school
community project has brought different
groups together from our village to design a
continuous stained glass window along the
breadth of the school building.
The designs are inspirational and thought
provoking as well as beautiful. The finished
windows provide a very spiritual, but exciting
addition to our school. The village community
can look at these beautiful windows every day
and know that they have contributed to this
project.