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!
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!)