The Kölner Dom

I have never seen the old medieval cathedral in person but I have a rich allegorical relationship to it enduring presence through literature and history. It is a 600 years old structure that stone masons began in the year 1248. It sits on the Mainz river in Germany. Work was ceased and restarted for several hundred years and finally in 1880, a national holiday declared it complete.

The entire city of Köln (Cologne) was raised by aerial bombs during WWII. The twin spires of the cathedral served as a navigational landmark for Allied bombers. The monument was hit 14 times and sustained incredible damage but remained standing.

I dedicate this piece to the effects that physical and sexual abuse have had on my body. It is a war and the recovery never ends. Thousands of every day battles have disrupted and paralyzed huge portions of my lived and unlived life. Yet, I too, am still standing.