The Weight of Gold

What does ​“guilt” have to do with ​“gilt”? More I think, than a play on words. It would seem that the gold­en altars often found in reli­gious cen­ters may be ful­fill­ing a need for atone­ment. This lit­tle altar’s mul­ti-lay­ered roco­co-like dec­o­ra­tive cutouts include tear shapes for the pen­i­tent as the word GUILT shouts at us from the cen­ter of the piece. Will we suf­fer pangs of con­science from the col­lage of gold foil but­ter and can­dy wrap­pers, gold stars and oth­er shiny entice­ments that cling to the out­er edges of the frame?