Dear ones,
I spent the weekend in Corfu, Greece, plunging my body into the Mediterranean Sea.
The first thing to greet me was the gentle curl of eucalyptus. The second was the face of god.
The church was deserted. I was alone, pacing between wooden panels. Silence inside, silence outside.
Byzantine icons, spanning between the 15th and 19th centuries.
My spirit left my body and floated to the icon’s rim: In Thee Rejoice, late 17th century. My vagrant spirit licked the yolken paint and spread across the icon gleam. Overhead, large wooden beams closed off the ceiling. They darkened the atmosphere, curtailing my soul from racing to heaven forever.
I wanted to merge with the image.
To burn red like the angel Lucifer, thick gold bell clanging around my head. To yield doubt. To sprout wings. And at the center of it all, god, in a rose garden, opening the folds of his skirt to infinite more gods.
Hands everywhere.
Crossing the chest.
Cupping the belly.
Folded soft.
Blessing the head.
I stood transfixed. The smell of resin began to bead around my neck like a string of pearls. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. It made my belly hot and swollen. I waddled out double brass doors and fell over in ordinary, every-day sun.
Yours,
emet
want more of the bird? subscribe below:
poems:
The River at Wolf by Jean Valentine
Hymn by Carl Phillips
Cruising Devotion: On Carl Phillips essay by Garth Greenwell
Into Her Future by Elizabeth Metzger
events, etc:
Israel’s terrorist attacks on Southern Lebanon continue—please join me in donating to this relief fund for folks on the ground in Lebanon!
Funds will go towards providing urgent and immediate relief such as medicine, groceries, and meals, as well as securing rent for displaced people. Venmo: @Lamia-Abukhadra or Paypal: @lamiaabukhadra1 — use the words Solidarity Donation in the memo. [DO NOT MENTION PALESTINE OR LEBANON, AS THESE GET BLOCKED]
L O O K B A C K W A R D S & L I V E
Artist talk at Bard College Berlin
On Tuesday, October 1st, I’ll be speaking about my work in Sabile, Latvia, and Lublin, Poland. More information below:
