"she earth" by Fabio Sassi
Hannah Phillips Mollenkamp | Lately
the valley of my hips feels inescapable: River-wide,
deltaesque. Some look at it with the hunger
of what they call possible, see birthright, say
birth, right? I look at them and see only my own pain,
see a crossing surely unsurvivable, by me anyway.
They call the river life; I know it’s all blood. Yet on my braver days
I can’t help knowing you can’t have one without
the other, that truth lies somewhere in that gulch
wherein the ever-shifting surface throws up light
and shadow both each hour. Endlessly the banks ache,
flood, dry out again and this is what makes the soil
its dark, rich self. I read once of a lover’s dripping
channel in an old book, very old. I read of a frothing red
sea parted, then slammed shut again, of waves which
wrought life and death therebetween. I read of a river
born just to water the garden of the world. I wonder
which of these, if any, is my own birthright, blessing,
curse. I wonder always which I want.
deltaesque. Some look at it with the hunger
of what they call possible, see birthright, say
birth, right? I look at them and see only my own pain,
see a crossing surely unsurvivable, by me anyway.
They call the river life; I know it’s all blood. Yet on my braver days
I can’t help knowing you can’t have one without
the other, that truth lies somewhere in that gulch
wherein the ever-shifting surface throws up light
and shadow both each hour. Endlessly the banks ache,
flood, dry out again and this is what makes the soil
its dark, rich self. I read once of a lover’s dripping
channel in an old book, very old. I read of a frothing red
sea parted, then slammed shut again, of waves which
wrought life and death therebetween. I read of a river
born just to water the garden of the world. I wonder
which of these, if any, is my own birthright, blessing,
curse. I wonder always which I want.
Hannah Phillips Mollenkamp (she/her/hers) is a queer poet, theologian, and storyteller. Born and raised in Austin, Texas, she currently resides in northern Illinois with her husband and four cats. She holds dual degrees in English literature and German from the University of North Texas, as well as a Master of Divinity from Garrett Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. Her work has appeared in Pleiades and Voices de la Luna.
Fabio Sassi is a photographer and acrylic artist. He enjoys imperfections, and reframing the ordinary in his artwork. Fabio lives in Bologna, Italy and his work can be viewed at https://fabiosassi.foliohd.com
