Mary Overheard in Conversation with Herself by Lesley-Anne Evans

I do not say this swaddling blanket.

I say remember the smell of those shepherds

with their eyes as big as moons.

I do not say this chisel.

I say it seems like yesterday

when you helped me know

the weight a cornerstone must bear.

I do not say this burial shroud. I ask how

is it possible we are each so capable

of cruelty? It has never been

about what I wrap and carry from one tent

to the next. I fear

I will forget your essence. When I hold

your blanket, chisel, shroud

in the bowl of my hands, each is a scroll

unfurling with stories. I sense your presence—

as I did when I lost and found you

in the temple—my heart

like knotweed in the wadis,

your voice, the coming of rain.

Lesley-Anne Evans' poetry has been commissioned and performed as opera, cantata, and is published widely in periodicals, including CV-2, The Antigonish Review, Barren Magazine, Presence Journal, and Faith Today. Her work is also awarded. Lesley-Anne's debut poetry collection, Mute Swan, Poems for Maria Queen of the World, was published by the St. Thomas Poetry Series (Toronto) in 2021. She lives a quiet life at Feeny Wood, with her partner and two dogs, in the company of wild things. https://laevans.ca/ https://www.feenywood.ca/