Mary Leonard
Revelation
In winter mustard weeds grow high
easy to drop under the leaves cut gold
tops drink in the pungent smell of sweat
strip a stalk suck out the juice No one says
Do not Do remember Do not forget
who you are
Some days I forget shake off my tunic
hit all the high notes I sang when
he was born hair so soft like silk
circling a king's head who knew
he'd be a leader of men
Leaves rustle I fling my scarf
over my head pull up my tunic
see a woman with dark braids wrapped
high like a crown robe tied with rope
She does not speak
Hands me unleavened bread mustard
seeds hidden in the grooves I bleat
like a sheep eating grass She smiles
why not tell her what? she sees,
knows, sees me?
She points to her village I shake my head
no return to my safe spot under plants
let the sun burn my skin She returns
with trays of rice and greens the scent,
turmeric cumin garlic
I cry out Mujadarah Her eyes
light up like spring irises in the hills,
blue, calm like the Sea of Galilee
black blue, like the pottery I've glazed
your eyes
she laughs bends
in half
I fall to the earth singing a hymn
she hums we sway to the right the left
dance like one, like mustard leaves
in the breeze
She opens her apron powders from
crushed rocks spill out blue red gold
her finger dips blue dots around
my eyes hers the sky opens up
A blue mirror
I feel so light I leap over steep rocks
my long white hair flies
every
which way
The Devil is a Man
I believed my country
'tis of me and thee
In October I turned a corner
found myself
with Parisians
in the streets chanting
Resistance Resist
I held the CGT
placard high
and joined the march
One woman asked why?
I said one name
wanted to start a list &&&
she said--I understand
she held my hand
we chanted liberté, égalité, fraternité
all the way up
the Blvd. Beaumarchais
all the way to the Bastille.
