{"id":716,"date":"2025-07-06T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/2025\/07\/06\/fragments-of-frost-and-fire-episode-11-sanctuaries\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T22:52:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T22:52:32","slug":"fragments-of-frost-and-fire-episode-11-sanctuaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/2025\/07\/06\/fragments-of-frost-and-fire-episode-11-sanctuaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Fragments of Frost and Fire – Episode 11 – Sanctuaries"},"content":{"rendered":"

My Sunday morning thoughts…<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span>\u201cSanctuaries\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\n

They rise<\/span><\/div>\n
like fortresses of fortune,<\/span><\/div>\n
etched against the skyline\u2014<\/span><\/div>\n
stone, steel, glass<\/span><\/div>\n
stacked in shimmering layers,<\/span><\/div>\n
palaces built to outlast time itself.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

Their gates never creak.<\/span><\/div>\n
They glide open<\/span><\/div>\n
only for those whose names<\/span><\/div>\n
carry weight<\/span><\/div>\n
like currency.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Inside,<\/span><\/div>\n
the air hums low with comfort\u2014<\/span><\/div>\n
climate tuned precisely,<\/span><\/div>\n
floors that shine like mirrors,<\/span><\/div>\n
chandeliers spun from light itself,<\/span><\/div>\n
hallways vast as canyons<\/span><\/div>\n
lined with gold-leafed words<\/span><\/div>\n
about generosity.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

They dine on imported delicacies,<\/span><\/div>\n
aged wines,<\/span><\/div>\n
discussing strategies for change<\/em>,<\/span><\/div>\n
how best to guide<\/span><\/div>\n
the unruly world beyond their walls.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

Through rose-colored windows<\/span><\/div>\n
they gaze out,<\/span><\/div>\n
seeing only<\/span><\/div>\n
what flatters them back\u2014<\/span><\/div>\n
poverty as a puzzle<\/span><\/div>\n
to be solved<\/span><\/div>\n
from afar,<\/span><\/div>\n
desperation as distant noise,<\/span><\/div>\n
a problem of policy,<\/span><\/div>\n
never proximity.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

They craft rules<\/span><\/div>\n
for those outside\u2014<\/span><\/div>\n
codes, decrees, restrictions\u2014<\/span><\/div>\n
shaping streets<\/span><\/div>\n
they\u2019ve never walked,<\/span><\/div>\n
drafting laws<\/span><\/div>\n
with hands that have never touched<\/span><\/div>\n
a callus or cold door handle.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

And all the while,<\/span><\/div>\n
these vast halls sit hollow<\/span><\/div>\n
for days,<\/span><\/div>\n
sometimes weeks\u2014<\/span><\/div>\n
silent but spotless,<\/span><\/div>\n
waiting for the next grand gathering<\/span><\/div>\n
while their keepers sleep<\/span><\/div>\n
under other roofs,<\/span><\/div>\n
far from here.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

Meanwhile,<\/span><\/div>\n
beneath their shadowed hedgerows<\/span><\/div>\n
and beside their gilded bins,<\/span><\/div>\n
others seek refuge\u2014<\/span><\/div>\n
pressed against cold stone walls,<\/span><\/div>\n
curled on concrete walks<\/span><\/div>\n
still warm from the day\u2019s sun<\/span><\/div>\n
or slick with freezing rain.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

They nest in corners<\/span><\/div>\n
where the wind cuts less sharply,<\/span><\/div>\n
praying for shelter<\/span><\/div>\n
from the burn of July,<\/span><\/div>\n
the bite of January,<\/span><\/div>\n
while above them<\/span><\/div>\n
empty towers of light<\/span><\/div>\n
stand guard<\/span><\/div>\n
over nothing but themselves.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

And when whispers arise,<\/span><\/div>\n
they say<\/span><\/div>\n
they give so much already.<\/span><\/div>\n
They pledge fortunes\u2014<\/span><\/div>\n
but only to causes<\/span><\/div>\n
that circle back<\/span><\/div>\n
to them.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

They\u2019ve mastered<\/span><\/div>\n
the old art of protection<\/em>:<\/span><\/div>\n
loopholed and exempt,<\/span><\/div>\n
they owe nothing<\/span><\/div>\n
to the common cause,<\/span><\/div>\n
for all their wealth,<\/span><\/div>\n
they say,<\/span><\/div>\n
is already spoken for\u2014<\/span><\/div>\n
claimed by their mission<\/span><\/div>\n
to serve<\/span><\/div>\n
the \u201cgreater good.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

And it isn\u2019t until you notice<\/span><\/div>\n
the spires\u2014<\/span><\/div>\n
the subtle curve of arches,<\/span><\/div>\n
the cross-like shapes<\/span><\/div>\n
woven in the iron gates\u2014<\/span><\/div>\n
that you realize:<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p>\n

\n

You weren\u2019t looking<\/span><\/div>\n
at the homes of billionaires.<\/span><\/div>\n
These are the sanctuaries<\/span><\/div>\n
where the poor are taught<\/span><\/div>\n
to bow<\/span><\/div>\n
before opulence<\/span><\/div>\n
and call it<\/span><\/div>\n
salvation.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
\n

Afterword<\/strong><\/p>\n

This poem was sparked by a post I saw on Threads by @muhoro_wa_mwenja<\/a>, showing the image of an extravagant church towering over a crumbling neighborhood. The words that accompanied it struck like a bell:<\/p>\n

“People have been brainwashed to worship while they starve. To tithe while children suffer. To build altars while classrooms rot.”<\/em><\/p>\n

That sentiment echoed something I\u2019ve seen unfold again and again, in places like the U.S. and Canada, and around the world, where churches gleam like palaces in neighborhoods where poverty clings to every doorstep.<\/p>\n

I wanted this poem to blur the lines at first\u2014to make readers think we were looking at mansions or corporate towers, the usual emblems of unchecked wealth. But the twist is that this isn’t about CEOs or tech billionaires. It’s about those who preach charity while amassing fortunes, whose sanctuaries stand empty while the streets outside overflow with need.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a condemnation of faith itself. It\u2019s a confrontation with the ways power can hide behind piety\u2014how easily we can be led to worship wealth disguised as virtue.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, it isn\u2019t the devil who wears the finest robes.<\/p>\n

\n

\n

Support Independent Content Creation<\/h3>\n

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These donation messages can be intrusive. I understand that. (Trust me, I feel awkward writing them too!)<\/p>\n

But reaching out like this is crucial. Being reader-funded gives my work something valuable that many content creators don’t have: true independence.<\/p>\n

1. Your support means I can write about what matters.<\/strong> I’m not chasing sponsorships or compromising my voice to please advertisers. I can pursue stories and topics I believe are important, creative, and thoughtful, regardless of their commercial appeal.<\/p>\n

2. Your support means I don’t have to chase viral trends.<\/strong> Instead of engineering clickbait or jumping on every passing bandwagon, I can focus on creating thoughtful content that genuinely adds value to your life.<\/p>\n

3. Your support means this content remains freely accessible.<\/strong> My work stays available to everyone, including those who can’t afford to contribute financially right now. Quality independent content should be accessible to all.<\/p>\n

I understand not everyone is in a position to contribute, but if you found any value in this post you can <\/p>\n

For the price of a coffee, you’ll enable me to invest more time in creating in-depth, creative journal posts and episodes of the Stone & Signal podcast. If you’d like to contribute more, consider purchasing one of my e-books<\/a> (priced at roughly two cups of coffee) \u2013 a way to support my work while gaining additional value for yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you for considering. Your support makes all the difference.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2014 Lawrence Nault<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My Sunday morning thoughts…  \u201cSanctuaries\u201d They rise like fortresses of fortune, etched against the skyline\u2014 stone, steel, glass stacked in shimmering layers, palaces built to outlast time itself. Their gates never creak. They glide open only for those whose names carry weight like currency. Inside, the air hums low with comfort\u2014 climate tuned precisely, floors…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","slim_seo":{"title":"Fragments of Frost and Fire - Episode 11 - Sanctuaries - Lawrence Nault","description":"My Sunday morning thoughts...   \u201cSanctuaries\u201d They rise like fortresses of fortune, etched against the skyline\u2014 stone, steel, glass stacked in shimmering l"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[168,164,167,169,166,165,95,46,94,163,96,162],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-critique","category-churches-and-poverty","category-critique-of-wealth","category-economic-justice","category-faith-and-hypocrisy","category-free-verse-poetry","category-homelessness","category-poetry","category-poverty","category-religion-and-power","category-social-justice","category-wealth-inequality"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=716"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":718,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716\/revisions\/718"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawrencenault.me\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}