The Litany of the First Spark

Liturgy

(A single bronze strike: a deep, resonant thud that vibrates in the chest cavity) High Cantor: (Soprano, ascending) O sleeper in the basalt cradle, hear the shivering of the surface. We bring the scent of crushed cinnamon and the salt of our own brows. Congregation: (Low, guttural) VORG. (A single bronze strike) High Cantor: (Melodic, floating) The frost has bitten the stone, and the ash is heavy on the tongue. We remember the gold that sleeps in the marrow of the earth. Congregation: (Low, guttural) VORG. (Three rapid strikes: metallic, jarring, and loud) High Cantor: (Urgent, precise) Stir the slow syrup of the deep. Turn the leaden sleep to liquid light. Wake the vein that feeds the root. Congregation: (A rhythmic roar) VORG-KHAL. (A single bronze strike: sustained resonance) High Cantor: (Gentle, descending) We do not ask for the mountain to break, only for the warmth of a single breath. A flicker in the dark. A promise of the thaw. Congregation: (Whispered, deep) VORG. (Two slow strikes: spaced wide apart) High Cantor: (Crescendo) From the obsidian heart to the silvered skin of the world, let the first spark leap. Congregation: (Thunderous) VORG-KHAL-UM. (A final, crushing strike: the sound of heavy bronze meeting stone, followed by total silence)