Epiphany

I was overcome,

In an instant,

Upon entering those hallowed halls.

Struck dumb;

Rendered speechless;

Feeling so incredibly small—

Not just as a human being,

But representative of the entire species.

Awed by the space around me,

Absorbing me…

Confounding me…

Reviving me.

Looking up, into the vaulted wonder

That seemed to have no end…

Only a limitless beginning.

Humbled, I sat;

Silent and contemplative,

Puzzling how such a thing could be—

How such genius and skill

Could be wrought by mere mortals

Ages before reason.

I wept.

Openly.

Cleansing tears

Of admiration,

Of pride in humanity;

In celebration of

The unfathomable beauty of

Our Lady on the Seine.

December 7, 2024

Nicola Delacoeur

11/11

After five long—yet also incredibly short—years Notre Dame has officially reopened.

It may seem a small thing, considering the number of souls that have passed through the cathedral’s doors; but I feel fortunate to have visited this wonder of the world in November of 2011, made especially poignant as it would be the last vacation I took before a seemingly never-ending series of dramatic events and setbacks ensued.

This difficult truth is among the many reasons I was bereft when in April of 2019, the world watched as Our Lady burned. Nearly a millennia of layer upon layer of historical, cultural, and spiritual significance destroyed with a single spark.

When Macron said he would ensure its reconstruction within five years, I and so many others, thought him mad. I watched with profound joy the reopening of this incredible gift to humanity.

Some may think it’s a lot of time and money spent on preserving a building, but it’s so much more than that. It’s representative of a collective genius, the determination of humanity to create something seemingly impossible, to come together for a beautiful purpose. Whether pious or secular, these are things the world very much needs more of.

Nicola Delacoeur, aka Nicole Dauenhauer, is a writer, blogger, screenwriter, humorist, and digital artist, as well as the author of the novel “Happenstance” and a collection of poems entitled “In the Dark.”  For more than two decades, Nicola has plied her trade in various areas of the media content industry, including book publishing, print and digital advertising, video production, public relations, marketing, communications, and corporate social responsibility. Nicola obtained an associate degree in Arts & Humanities from Nassau Community College, which included a brief stint at the University of West London (nee Thames Valley University) in England; a bachelor’s degree in English & Publishing from Hofstra University; and holds a Public Relations Certificate from Rutgers University School of Communication & Information.

In addition to poetry, Nicola pens fiction and non-fiction, and has contributed her work to digital and print media outlets such as Here Women Talk, Love a Happy Ending, Smitten By Britain, Newsday’s It Happened on Long Island, and more. Nicola has produced content for widely distributed corporate magazines, as well as for her own blogs, including Perfectly Period, You Hadda Be There, and The Film Fatales.  Fascinated by British and European history and culture, Nicola has traveled extensively throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. In her spare time, she enjoys all manner of geeky things, especially fantasy and sci-fi; irreverent and screwball comedy; sweeping period pieces; and birdwatching. She makes her home in Long Island, New York, where she lives with her three quirky cats, a Chantilly named Pippa and a pair of tabby tuxes named Moishe and Midge Maisel.