In the beginning, we were one blood.

Then the body, stem of thorns, grew

its disagreement from the inside

out. Like all biblical stories, it begins

with a simple thorn, a natural secret

the body kept from itself. I open

the sealed envelope: everything in the sky

folded, gathered into one body. Shoulders,

the tightness of my mouth. Wounded

bird. Lightning fluttering between two boys

who want to be in a basement in a town

they dreamt up. Lightning in cities and towns

I’ve never been to, never heard of. I am

positive. I am not. I make a moon with sugar

and a damp thumb, watch its unlicked body

dissolve into memory. A couple of towns over

I am born and reborn. I am not. Not positive

until I say it. Until I taste it. Boys died and die

in bodies like this and don’t ghost, except

on voice messages their mothers play to keep

alive. They dress to grieve in churches. Inside

black moons. Blotted-out days. Separate from face,

posthumous thorn. Body liquefaction. I dream

about altar boys in ironed seersucker suits

pecking each other like swallows when dared. Boys

with whiskey-mark necks. Like a scream of darts

found them in the sanctuary’s locked basement

in the dark. One night, they drew it—the town 

they dreamt of, fences yellowed, clouds like the static

on the tv. Their only light. Knowing any other light

would wake one’s sleeping sister, her body

in the corner of the room’s mouth. Faithful,

moving only as God does. One night

in a symphony of nights. And He likes us

until he doesn’t. Like trees struck by lightning,

we aren’t visible until we’re on fire. Everything

depreciates like this once it’s been said. Unless

it is overheard. Unless it is shot in flight.

Director

Tom Speers

Poet

Peter LaBerge

Executive Producers

Todd Boss
Egg Creative
Claire McGirr

Producer

Cian Speers

Cinematographer

Kevin Treacy

Editor 

Tom Speers

Music

McKenzie Stubbert

Boys

Finn Gillespie
Lenar Gaffney

Lewis Brophy
Scott Brophy
Harry Eaves
Evan Hamilton
Raymond Scully

Barber

Dave McCurtain

Poem Read by

Michael McElhatton

1st AD

Glenn Delaney

2nd AD

Karen Bryne

1st AC

Aidan Gault
Gosia Zur

2nd AC

Karl Walsh

3rd AC

Sean Buffini

Gaffer

Stephen McCarthy

Electrician 

Meg O’Kelly

Art Director

Ciara O’Donovan

Casting Director

Katy Moylan - Ali Coffey Casting

Sound Recordist 

Bryan Robson

Locations

David O’Mara

Production Assistant

Adam Bryne

Post Production

Promenade Post Production

Colourist

Eoghan McKenna

Dubbing Mixer

Liam Yelen

Titles

Kaye Hynes

'Spem in Alium’, composed by Thomas Tallis.

Special Thanks

Volker Ehler - Vast Valley
Jason Foran - Teach Solais
Georgia McClure
Tamara Conyngham
Susan Gill
Johnny Speers
Helen & Derek Rodgers
Bridie Mitten
Karen McDermott

Christie McNeill
Dan Colley
Megan Moroney
Claire Connolly
Mike Swan
Patrick Rogers
Freddie Browne
Mark Hannon
Brendan Bryne - Film FX
Mobile Radio Links
Joy Gaffney
Stephen Eaves
Susan Brophy
Jacqueline Dowling
Eddie Duffy
John Phillipson
Jordan Mullen
Chloe Kennedy
Ronan Smyth

“Boy Saint”, a poem by Peter LaBerge. ©2017 Peter LaBerge. Used by permission.
This poem originally appeared in Crazyhorse.