by STEPHANIE JOY TISDALE
Our Lady of Sorrow (Dolores)
with transition
she transcends
evolves into the invisible
speaks through signs
symbols
the subtle jump of candle’s light
flickering
she is silent
(mostly)
records skip
her favorite song plays
instead of mines
I feel her smile on me
she still has that smile
ever so often
I go to lay on the grass
growing above
where her bones rest
right where her body used to be
in a padded white box
with gold trim
inside, a picture of her
us
we
three
encapsulated
& epitaph-adjacent
6ft of separation
that aches with
otherworldly distance
I lay on the earth side
I sing for us both
my bones & me
her bones & she
I was her’s once
bonded by womb-space and epic memory
adored
wanted
known
loved
now
I attend to her after-life
and my life
after her life
lived
I pick up heart pieces
the sharp edges slice
through my hands
a painless reminder;
I am here, still
eye water spills
in remembrance
we depart from our midway point
she, mother of the living
me, daughter of the dead
The Art of Covenant: Part I
voice more
(or less)
sing into the shadows
plant frequency
evolve into sound
beget rhythms
channel tones
float into the ferocious waves
answer the call
(you are calling)
respond with gifts
give
be of sound
mind/ heart/ body
spirit
shine
with light
be a sun ray
or a moon glow
or
be a prayer
made of meteors
stardust
& limestone
force(s)
are with you