Our Lady of Sorrow (Dolores)/ The Art of the Covenant: Part I

by STEPHANIE JOY TISDALE
in Fall 2018

Our Lady of Sorrow (Dolores)

with transition
she transcends

evolves into the invisible

speaks through signs
symbols

the subtle jump of candle’s light
flickering
she is silent
(mostly)

records skip
her favorite song plays
instead of mines

I feel her smile on me
she still has that smile

ever so often
I go to lay on the grass
growing above
where her bones rest

right where her body used to be
in a padded white box
with gold trim

inside, a picture of her
us
we
three

encapsulated
& epitaph-adjacent

6ft of separation
that aches with
otherworldly distance

I lay on the earth side
I sing for us both

my bones & me
her bones & she

I was her’s once
bonded by womb-space and epic memory

adored
wanted
known

loved

now

I attend to her after-life
and my life
after her life

lived

I pick up heart pieces
the sharp edges slice
through my hands

a painless reminder;
I am here, still

eye water spills
in remembrance

we depart from our midway point
she, mother of the living
me, daughter of the dead

The Art of the Covenant: Part I

voice more
(or less)

sing into the shadows
plant frequency
evolve into sound

beget rhythms
channel tones
float into the ferocious waves

answer the call
(you are calling)

respond with gifts

give

be of sound
mind/ heart/ body
spirit

shine
with light

be a sun ray
or a moon glow
or

be a prayer

made of meteors
stardust
& limestone

force(s)
are with you

Stephanie Joy Tisdale was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. She attended Howard University, Lincoln University, and Temple University for undergraduate and graduate studies in English Literature, Education, and Africana Studies (respectively). She is an educator, writer, editor, and performing artist.

The Unseen

Transcendence Pt. III