Three Poems by Grace Andreacchi

 

THE CRANE WIFE

featherlight
in a room outside
the wind
the wound clock runs
down

the debt is paid
what you thought was
death is only
love
the colour of winter

beauty sheds her skin
here on the floor
this ragged thing unnamed
was your wife
once

 

MERCY

A small girl in a blue headdress
is holding a lamb in her arms
What’s your name? I said
Mercy, she said

There was a time
when I would have believed this
another time
when I believed not a word of it

This child atop a mountain at twilight
when the glorious sky painting spreads
in full array upon a thousand hills
she was there

beside the ragged line of yellow pennants
the wind drew strands of hair across her face
in time to the saffron flags
waving at heaven

 

 

ON THE BEACH

On a dark blue shore
I held a child on my lap
tall elk emerged from the water
climbed the beach, walking
stately past us in procession
winter trees
moving in the wind
she clung to me in wonder
we dared not to breathe
they did us no harm
melting fires lost loves souls drowned
in sorrow they came but
not for us
and yet we saw them