The Light Of Iona Poem by Laurence Overmire

A tiny island
Off the southwest coast
Of Mull
In the Inner Hebrides

Scotland's cradle of Christianity

In 563, Columba landed
And began his missionary work
The desolate island transformed into
A bastion of learning
Contemplation and
Healing

Poetry flourished on this diminutive
Fragment of earth

The monastery library became one of the
Greatest
In Western Europe
A tremendous light in a very
Dark age

The Book of Kells
One of the most beautiful works of
Art
Ever created
Probably had its origins here

Pilgrims from many lands
Made the journey
To this holy place

Many of the ancient kings of
Dalriada
Scotland and Ireland
Norway and France
Were laid to rest in its sacred ground
The Relig Odhráin:
Kenneth MacAlpin
Duncan I
Macbeth
Donalbane

St. Oran's Chapel
Within the graveyard
Dates to the 12th century
Perhaps
Built by Somerled himself
The Lord of the Isles

You cannot help but feel
The magnitude of the ages
The lives that have come and gone
Seeking
Sanctification and
Re-connection to the
Infinite.

~ Laurence Overmire

(Previously published in The Ghost of Rabbie Burns: An American Poet's Journey Through Scotland, Indelible Mark Publishing,2016)