Desert Women

We women get a sense of who we are
and how we look and what affect we have on men
by what we see there on the faces,
in the eyes of those we love the most
and sometimes what we see convinces us
that we are beautiful and molten sex
and freckled marble columns full of fire
and sometimes what we see is like a sudden
gasp of wintry air that hurts the lungs and
down deep inside our bellies and
we promise that we'll never feel that way again,
we love ourselves too much, we'll hide out in
the desert till we hear the adoration once again.

Hosanna in the highest. Blest is she who comes.

Sometimes the wait is brief.
Sometimes it never ends,
but always, it is better than a glimpse,
the faintest glimpse,
of disappointment.


(c) Ellen Gillette, 2015