"Waves of Metamorphosis" by Julie Epp
Rita Mookerjee | Self-Portrait as the Pie Crust in Heretic (2024)
I know that I was built to be broken
so spare us the liturgy, only the minor gods remain.
None of your wares tempt me
because I am a god in my own right.
Spare us the liturgy, only the minor gods remain
testing the strength of their tender fingers &
because I am a god in my own right
I will remind you that heaven is not a white cloud.
Testing the strength of your tender fingers
comes with a certain degree of risk.
I will remind you that heaven is not a white cloud
& 1000 hoarded relics will not save you.
Truth comes with a certain degree of risk:
burst cherries leave their signature on a shirt collar.
Since 1000 hoarded relics will not save you
come delight in me; use both hands like Snow White.
The way burst cherries leave their signature on a shirt collar
is a blessing, because most sweet things do not stay for long.
Come pray at me; use both hands like Snow White
in satiny blue, moving with the precision of a hummingbird
a summer blessing, though most sweet things do not stay for long
& this happens to include my benediction.
In satiny blue, moving with the precision of a hummingbird,
my gifts spill upon porcelain. I was built to be broken.
so spare us the liturgy, only the minor gods remain.
None of your wares tempt me
because I am a god in my own right.
Spare us the liturgy, only the minor gods remain
testing the strength of their tender fingers &
because I am a god in my own right
I will remind you that heaven is not a white cloud.
Testing the strength of your tender fingers
comes with a certain degree of risk.
I will remind you that heaven is not a white cloud
& 1000 hoarded relics will not save you.
Truth comes with a certain degree of risk:
burst cherries leave their signature on a shirt collar.
Since 1000 hoarded relics will not save you
come delight in me; use both hands like Snow White.
The way burst cherries leave their signature on a shirt collar
is a blessing, because most sweet things do not stay for long.
Come pray at me; use both hands like Snow White
in satiny blue, moving with the precision of a hummingbird
a summer blessing, though most sweet things do not stay for long
& this happens to include my benediction.
In satiny blue, moving with the precision of a hummingbird,
my gifts spill upon porcelain. I was built to be broken.
Rita Mookerjee is an assistant professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Worcester State University. She is the winner of the 2023 Steel Toe Books Poetry Award and the author of False Offering (JackLeg Press). Her poems can be found in CALYX, Copper Nickel, Poet Lore, New Orleans Review, and the Offing.
Julie Epp is a watercolour artist based in Metro Vancouver whose intimate, dreamlike paintings explore hidden emotions and the shifting layers of identity. Through delicate, surreal imagery, she reflects on what is lost, buried, or unspoken within us. Her work invites stillness and self-examination, offering viewers a quiet space to reconnect with their inner world. http://www.julilyart.com/
