the flame of 2005


and I realized that it is not that rome is the eternal city  but it is the eternal summer night the eternal experience of my ancestral heritage

my spirit burns at the vatican in mourning of pope john paul 11's death and in celebration of catholocism being the universal sense of christian brotherhood and my spirit burns at the vatican like a flame in the eternal summer night

april 10th 2005 there is sacred mystery in numbers

the wind has turned the sacred leaves of his litany

long live Pope John Paul viva il papa



copyright Madeleine Schiller

seasonal edmonton transit


I waited for the bus @ the Churchill Square Bus Stop and I always tell people that this is the most beautiful place in the world-right now right here this very bus stop and passer bys seem to agree with me

there was the snowfilled wind the sweeping of the churchill square cleansing stained memories over the new year and the flashing light tubes like festival candles lighting the festivities and the ancient stone bell tower built by the volunteers of edmonton and the tower chiming joyfully and historically through the snow rendering the minutes with the sacred tone and the pyramidal shaped city hall reminiscent  of a sun filled afternoon of our ancient egyptian ancestors who fished along the nile river and the edmonton public library building across from churchill square wrapped during the festivities llike an enormous christmas presentand the silver disc the broken violated circle of life and the grasping hands of hunger reminding the citizens of edmonton that you have to take moments or lightyears to suffer for humanity inspiring longanimity

then the chartered bus came by and I asked to hop on and the driver said-there is a fee to buy tickets at an earlier date- to view the christmas light tour- those lights that couldnt be extinguished from the darkest hours of the solstice but if there is a seat the driver said hop on

and so there was an empty seat and we drove down a strip of territory where everyone decorated extravagantly  candy cane lane and when I was a child I liked the candy cane lights on the  weeping willow tree the most and this made me feel nostalgic to see them through my past and current vision and I slipped into a hypnosis of christmas lights once more

as we drove to the park by the saskatchewan river there were the silhouettes of prancing reindeer that travelled lights and santas and hockey players went for the long shot against a white frozen landscape silent and breathless with anticipation and two ten year old girls sang silent night without any musical accompaniment to detract from the beauty of their raw child voices in a christmas register


then we had hot chocolate in the old marble legislature building and the pine trees danced with clear lights that bordered the skating rink

then back to my favourite bus stop

thanks a million times I said to the bus driver and merry christmas I said as bravissimo to the driver who had volunteered to drive for edmonton christmas light tour

I continued to wait for the number one bus @ Churchill Square bus stop and this bus would drive me home to my highrise building dressed for the season with each apartment balcony signed with its own christmas signature of luminosity

edmonton's highlevel bridge light signature

southern cross

we are all entitled to the southern cross to the constellation crux to the cruciform dream to the crucificition we are all entitled to wear the ruby studded crown and the fleece lined jacket we are all entitled to the lovely pale red star gamma crucis at the summet of the cross

the profoundest reward bleeds from the deepest suffering

I remember her pale blue eyes  seeing through her own kind of death and her look of gratitude for my being there  and the lovely pale red star spinning in the blue skies of her eyes

I am a christian and this is my prayer for good friday 


copyright Madeleine Schiller