Thirst by Anna Khoury

Sweat drips down his forehead,
tears flow tirelessly from sullen eyes.

Tearful exhaustion evaporates off
burning skin, fever intensifying—
bodily water is no match for fire.

Knees hit the ground
palms clasp the earth
lips proclaim suffering.

With his cheek to the dirt,
a woven cloak extends over beaten
shoulders, threads lay like rivers—

extinguishing the flames.
Thirst quenched, plague undone,
sickness of cracked lips and desert skin.

Cloak securely fastened with hood over head;
he stretches out a healed hand
to meet his savior’s.

Anna Khoury is a second-year college student at the University of South Florida, pursuing a degree in English. She is passionate about studying the Word through cross-referencing and participating in group fellowship with girls her age who attend her church. Her love for literature and creative writing also stems from her love of the Word, as she enjoys analyzing texts and finding textual similarities between novels that she is introduced to in her coursework. She also enjoys reading for leisure, of course, and has just started to get into writing her own poetry.