gethsemani

 

a medal they are. devotion reflecting pool from ribbon hung. to prove

a girl. scout bound squatting as if padding protected, splitting then fitting

how Madonna red they've all become: Megan, Amanda, Rose, an acrobat,

a diva, a puppeteer having lost her strings. a garden walled in loose

stone, oil pressed, pleading take this, pass over me, olive pits, our lady.

 

 

 

 

[part 2]

 

lord a mission cannot carry a face         

veronica washes      whipped

the leg a circle    soft burgundy

shoes kicking and beaten a burden

a veil wipes the spit and blood carriage

of arms with grace adjust and to dust

we shall Jerusalem dear twirl and trickle

executioners* yank      crucifixion   a hill

bending       a slow return

a method of arriving

in cuddle position

 

  

*At least a dozen pigs that had survived torrential rains and swum miles through rising

water were shot dead Tuesday as they scrambled on top of levees.

 

 

 

 

[part 3]

 

palms

nailed spaghetti strand-        

ed two criminals veiled you

& i falling

down the cross mocking

arms razed the length

and stretch of body      zing

hands swing     

nicknamed me nimble, what floorcraft

point at each revolution            rapid circular

movements of the leg

remaining in a fixed spot      the other leg

a pot releases

what catholic smell* &

whispered        under beds

 

 

*Alcohol in lotions and perfumes attracts mosquitoes, as do cosmetic fragrances such as lavender.