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Lost Ark
—upon reading of the hunt for the Ark of the Covenant
It used to be, a life ago, that fear
caused me to lift my hands to hide my sight
when Raiders’ climax was on screen—to peer
at wonders shouldn’t be considered trite.
As wisdom starts with fear, it’s no surprise
I tried connecting what was partly viewed
between my fingers, in a child’s surmise,
with sacred stories thoughts had richly hued.
These days film images no longer scare
as tangibility is what will harm,
and yet the thought looms greater from its lair,
this supernatural force conveys alarm.
When it’s unearthed, I wouldn’t be so bold
to stain the awe by grasping its wrought gold.
.
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Christopher Fried (b. 1985) lives in Richmond, VA and works as an ocean shipping logistics analyst. He has published a novel and two books of poetry, including the recently published Analog Synthesis (2025) by Kelsay Books.
The poem’s speaker lifts his hands to hide his sight. That is the human gesture that most resembles the liturgical prayer of the seraphim. Holy fear is behind it.
TV and movies are a modern, degraded medium but sometimes something transcendent flashes across our blue-light screens.
Shock waves keep emanating from the Lost Ark, wherever it is now. They pass right through this poem and the screen it appears on.
Christopher, great reference to the scene in “The Raiders of the Lost Ark” conveying in your poem a visceral reaction to the opening of the ark and its sacred contents. The hand gesture and awe accorded it in your poem are certainly appropriate.
I agree with Roy. Thanks for the read, Christopher.
“Wisdom starts with fear,” the highest spiritual gift following the earliest of holy fear. The poem presents a series of kinds of fear involved in contemplation of an unknown object of awe. It moves from considering sight to wisely imagining the more alarming touch. Good development of time and thought, Christopher.
Indeed: ‘All that glisters is not gold, / Often have you heard that told’.
Indie and the Last Crusade had an equally scary scene where the villain misidentifies the Holy Grail and drinks from the wrong chalice.
The original article, in ‘Metro’, has more information of what Viewer 32 purportedly saw (second paragraph of the Session Summary), and a map showing possible locations of the Ark.
Thanks for the read, Christopher. And by the way, the actor who played the villain in ‘Raiders’ is my namesake!