Blue, by Sheila Stewart

Genesis, Mary Lou Payzant (Canada) 2015. Click image for artist site.

Blue
 
​   
 And the earth was without form and void
And darkness was upon the face of the deep
And the Spirit of God
Moved upon the face of the waters
                                          Genesis 1:2 


Was earth ever without form?
Clay-coloured earthly angel of might
Rising from the blue
Between field and violet
Blue wavelengths                                                       
Birdwoman, fish figure
Gowned in azure--
Head back, arms spread--Hallelujah
High-priest breastplate born
And the earth was without form

Splashing, piercing light
But all is not lyric
We are burdened with the Bible
An excuse for dangerous men
To call me angel—sow what they reap
Dare I  try on robes of snakeskin
Take to the sea
Full measure replete
Darkness upon the face of the deep

But all is not parable
Nor a firmament of good and evil
Mother Earth returns
Blows wind into her sail--
Tern, puffin, thick-billed
Murre, winter-phase guillemot--
A wet bird beats in your chest
Seahorse meets air
Wing-tipped pen nib, paint pot
The Spirit of God

Black-billed mother trails ribbon in her beak
Builds nest on rugged shore
Stares me in the eye--
Birdwoman looks to her daughters                
Earth and air release her
Upon the face of the waters

Sheila Stewart
​
Sheila Stewart has two poetry collections, The Shape of a Throat (Signature Editions) and A Hat to Stop a Train, (Wolsak and Wynn), and a co-edited anthology of poetry and essays, The Art of Poetic Inquiry(Backalong Books). Her work has been published in Canada, Ireland, and the US and recognized by the gritLIT Contest, Pottersfield Portfolio Short Poem Contest, and Scarborough Arts Council Windows on Words. She teaches at the University of Toronto.