74 Chapel Rd
Monologue written and performed by Ashton Salei
Browse the tour
Route A
1) Pho Minh Temple | 2) Marion Street | 3) Bankstown Gospel Hall | 4) Bankstown Library | 5) Bankstown Library | 6) Paul Keating Park |
Route B
7) Bankstown Arts Centre – RS1 | 8) Amitabha Buddhist Association | 9) Bankstown Train Station | 10) My Dads Work | 11) Bankstown Centro | | 12) Bankstown Arts Centre – Gallery
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Transcript
Nah nah nah i get you, what am i doing standing in front of a church listening to a man speak poetry through my headphones.
In-fact, why am I standing in front of a church?
SFX: street noises
Crazy, I walk past this place almost everyday to cross the road to get to that park, or further down to the Aldi shops – yet I have never even seen this place.
Fair enough,
It easily goes unnoticed, i mean how does one come across this church and decide to go inside? Despite the boards right outside the doors.
Street noises fade out
You see, from across the street – some days you can hear the voices of worship escaping those doors.
Like damn, how can a building’s voice box be the warmest hug of an eardrum detox.
like a red-flare that boats luminate in clouds to signal rescue from distress.
Hearing echoes of worship through the street from those doors,
my lungs sent alerts to my heart, then to my mind, then my arms and legs before you know it, my rib cage broke free.
Breath after breath, my lungs thirsted for water, cause they poured down my face instead. .
I knew the power of a call for help
But what do you use when your device is low-battery?
I knew the importance of clean laundry
But how do you get it when your machine stops working?
The importance of tyres
But what’s the point when they’re flat?
I knew the importance of church
But what was the point
if i-
if i-
(deep inhale)
If I had stopped making excuses and reached for the handle
I knew the importance.
SFX: walking up steps
Stumbling on my first-steps up the those small stairs,
That awkward glare through the glass to make sure no one sees me enter
Back in forth in my head
Am I even worthy to be here?
What am I doing here?
Idk what i’m doing – i’ll just g-
(in chest voice, forward and greeting)
“Hey good morning, welcome brother, come in come in”
(pause)
I didn’t know what I was doing, in that moment and with life.
But just by his face and smile I knew I was safe and in hope
SFX: footsteps
First time walking into this chapel,
My arms stuck to my sides like glue
SFX: racing heartbeat
and my legs shook of nerves that my heart rate competed with the up-tempo bass of praise
like my body barricaded my soul
Anxiety crept his way into my mind and eyes, blankets of comfort, snuggled head to toe in his fear.
I hope I don’t make a fool of myself.
A fool, myself.
To think I was walking the red carpet and all eyes were on me
Seated through the preaching complimented with the faintest and softest keyboard keys in the background.
I realized the people that filled the rows of wooden seats actually didn’t care for the outer layers of me
But much rather their desire for healing.
That even whilst i was walking the red carpet – cameras were nowhere to be seen
They were actually charging their phones,
Cleaning their laundry and filling their tyres with air.
As tears of silence and whispers of prayer filled the corners of the room
The sight of arms stretched wide to the ceiling with life pouring from their mouths
Confirmed that this place was more than just a building. I called it Holy.
Because at the end of the day, we all needed renewal of something
Life was already as fast as the M4
I finally parked and looked up.
Allowed the strokes of light that beamed through the windows to bathe in my pores and waves of praise silence the noise in my mind
to just. for. a. moment – look up
To then notice these people were creating their bed frames from these walls,
for where they wished to lay their head for eternity.
Where their sheets were pure white and clean.
Not to be deceived though, I don’t think they naturally came like this.
I know that because of the way their arms hanged their laundry.
Exposed for the sun(son) to see.
because like any other sheet, they had to be washed consistently.
I say this because those dirty sheets are also me.
I too know drowning in showers, not knowing
if this sea came from my eyes or shower.
Know depression like a newborn baby I raised and nurtured carefully.
Know what it’s like to internally long for peace in drunken nightclubs
understood that i couldn’t expect to heal and come out clean
if i hadn’t washed my dirty sheets
and gone through a washing cycle
without a full spin.
Understood that if words of darkness can harm you
Words of life can save you
i had never felt such a peaceful sleep
You know that feeling of wanting to live in a hug so warm
Of a protector whose arms never close from yours.
Phone connection restored for the lifeline of my emergency contact
Of a defender whos precious smile, beams through the street
Just, by the sight, of you
And being filled with air for the first time.
To breathe life for the first time.
SFX: deep breath
