A spectre of black And unending radiance Of glorious splendour And terrifying countenance Sister and lover Honoured and scorned Most holy hierodule Queen of the thorns Mother and daughter Consort and virgin Red is her vestments Black is her skin Earthen vessel Of glory and blood Wounded death mother Courtesan of God She arose fully formed From the shattered shell of a black egg She appears as a spectre Draped in black or in white or in red She bears a thousand names But all will remain unspoken She is the sceptre, she is the crown, A seal that must never be broken