Richard Bentley has published fiction, poetry, and memoir in over 200 journals, magazines and anthologies. He has served on the board of the  Modern Poetry Association (now known as the Poetry Foundation). He is a  Pushcart Prize nominee. He was prizewinner in the Paris Review/Paris Writers Workshop International Fiction Awards.

Chartres

They mounted their ladders to greet me,
The Queen of Heaven, the Mother of God.
With hoist and pulley they raised hewn rock
For me to nourish at my breast.

They quickened the sky with their hammers,
Molded halos with their thumbs,
Made naves sprout arches, clerestories soar.
Now I smolder as I stand.

I have been on every battlefield,
Leading both sides—
The Trinity cannot love me
As it clashes, my sisters,
With our armies of rage.