Resurrection (yet again)
The women (Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome)
turned and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and
bewilderment. Gospel of Mark 16:9
As they ran their hands shook, oil sloshed
from jars and spice from fingers, and shadows
fled before them, cast by the angel,
and their teeth chattered. Birds swooped down
for seeds, sparrows and finches and graveyard mice
bright-eyed and wild. The path was rocky and Salome
ripped one sandal and her blood scattered
and sprang up in great branches, olive and myrtle,
dogwood in white blossom until the hill was veiled
and bridal. The oil anointed stones with river-colour
and they invoked a river: first
a trickle, then braided runnels
like the inside of a wrist, and then
the mouth of the tomb became
the womb of rain.
___________
A zeugmate whose opinion I value says "far too many ands" in the last version. I sorta miss them, though.
Happy Easter, all!
1 Comments
a womb of rain is a fine form of resurrection
as a primitive atheist that believes in ghosts and many other unproven things but lives in a seemingly unhauntable room, the image of the frantic excitement of mary and salome comes to me near the humour of tales from the gimli hospital than biblical exegesis
had i been in the cave at the time i’d have taken off running! i’d be hiding in the woods this very minute then days later be telling the story of what had happened in a way mary and salome would never recognize
and no one would believe me there’d be no big religion from it just a strange old poem
(i’m going to look at other years!)