 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.
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