Doves are moving in on the little finches around the feeder out my kitchen window.
It’s like LAX –birdie planes circling above, each awaiting their turn to land….
I love to watch them while I’m washing dishes.
This dove above
— Dove Triumphant–
At the top of the feeder, poised for action!
Like the angel in Arezzo.
The first time I saw the True Cross Cycle, I thought the white blur with feathers streaming behind it was a dove…
Nose-diving toward the tent where Constantine was asleep
Asleep and dreaming of victory
But, of course, it is not a dove.
But an angel.
An angel that swoops down like a magnificent bird, its bright radiance striking the front of the red and gold tent and the counterposed soldiers in the foreground.
Oh, to find feathers from the angel’s wings!
Eusebius
(Who knew the emperor personally)
Told the story of the Roman emperor Constantine, on the eve of a great battle
Dreamt a dream of victory.
In some versions, it was Christ who came to him
And in others, an angel.
This apparition appeared holding a cross in front of him \and said,
“By this sign you will conquer.”
I like it that in Piero’s painting, the angel is holding the cross in front
In Triumph
But to make no mistake about it
His little pinky finger is pointing directly at the object of the message!
Patti Smith has a wonderful song about the fresco cycle in Arezzo.
(This was in the days when songwriters wrote their own songs; sometimes songs like poems).
The lyrics are wonderful!!
I will link to lyrics— and here is the song.
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Dewdrop World 