Angela Kirby
Shivering at the edge
Hail Mary, full of grace …
Four a.m., the iron bed creaks,
an old hulk under sail.
We are anchorless, adrift
in cold air and struggling to reach you
as you set out at last,
unknowingly, like a sleeping child
lashed to a spar
Holy Mary, mother of God …
Sister Natividad
hovers alongside, cosy as a tug,
whispering the rosary,
nudging you gently
into the waters
that have scared you
for so long …
now and at the hour of our death,
amen …
amen, amen,
for weeks we have waited,
prayed for it,
watching you hesitate,
shivering at the edge,
longing to be in …
blessed art thou amongst women …
but now at last
your skin turns grey,
your breath
soughs in our ears
and we cling to you,
chop and change
want you to go, to stay …
the Lord is with thee …
oh, he turns you to driftwood,
spume, bleached bone
in our clutching hands
as the tide takes and lifts you
far out of reach, alone
and drifting,
drifting away …
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Page(s) 23-24
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