It made me cry. It is a very powerful piece of writing. The images, the repeated motifs, everything- perfect.

Often it is difficult to tell if 'you' is the priest or the brother. And instinctual, at the start of teh final segment, is not a word. You should have used instinctive.

Thanks for the opportunity to read such a great piece of writing.

im in shock, and there are chills that wont go away in my spine. If thats wha you were hoping for, you nailed it. Great job

OH MY GOD.

Seriously, such a beautiful piece. It's really evocative, and sad, and witty. Beautiful description, wonderful writing (especially the passage about the slippery vine). And I must admit that the rabid sexist in me assumed that the narrative voice was male. I've got to fix that sometime...

But, like, 10/10. Fabulous. :)