The way
to divination
is the wee lantern
that still lights
the east side of the garden wall,
though she has long been empty.
Hand-painted
with gold leaf,
her flecks
against opaque skin
are the steps
I count
daily,
to raise
this long trodden heart:
in such a remnant,
a breath for living.
- Judith Zelis
Judith rediscovered writing in her sixties.
Nine Foot Road (A Chrysalis)
