Some might think this poem was sparked by the case of Cardinal George Pell, who was convicted of oral rape of two altar boys in St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne.  Not so, it was actually provoked by the conviction (overturned on appeal) of Archbishop Wilson of Adelaide, for failing to report sexual abuse to the NSW police.   I wished, however, to enter the reaction of a Catholic layperson to the whole phenomenon of child sexual abuse.  Such a poem will necessarily focus on the Catholic Church.  However, the intention is more genera, since sexual abuse of children is far from limited to the Catholic Church.

I have written in standard alliterative metre, as used by Enlish poets from the Old English period into the twentientieth century, and now into the twnty first.  Both JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis have written on this verse form (Tolkien also wrote in this form.  I understand he also gave advice when consulted to WH Auden).  I intend at some stage to revise into one essay two short essays I once wrote on alliteration.