Artwork by Marguerite McDonald
The eye hides
inside the skull’s planet,
buried deep
like a seed or a stone.
There is one vision,
one hand to cast a shadow,
one clearly defined line
running along the lid
of one woman’s life.
One single ramification.
Below the eyes
a murky triangle
of white has surfaced,
a merciless reminder
of the senses which have
not yet petered out;
nose
mouth
tongue
a wedge of brilliant red
marks the entrance
to the triumphant throat.
Through it all
the questions come
like the relentless wave
of a tsunami:
How does one live
without the body?
How does one learn
the power of looking
in, instead of out?
How does one speak the truth
when words have turned to ashes?
How does one row
to the gates of heaven,
or even hell,
when there are no oars,
there is no boat?
How does one
continue to find
the will to beat
the drum
when the
accompaniment
has ended?
How does one
accept
the magnificence
of nothing,
as it stands before us
in this single
inexplicable
creation,
this mind
which matters
more than anything else
and which remains
perfectly intact,
light years beyond
that which we call
the body?
– Published in The Healing Muse Marylou DiPietro