Mary and the Sphinx, by Betsy Mars

Rest on the Flight Into Egypt, by Luc Olivier Merson (France). 1879.

Mary and the Sphinx

Taken over by the holy mission,
bare feet soothed in the warm wind.
Look to the sky, to the star
Eyes upturned in
the pleasure and wonder of purpose.
Nature is shifting:
heart full of nursing, of nurturing
the blessed one, infant in arms.
So fully protected, all
may shed their burdens --
to feed, to nourish, or to sleep.
The morning will come.

Betsy Mars

Betsy Mars is a Connecticut-born, mostly California-raised poet, educator, and mother two adult children and several animals. Living in Brazil as a child led to a lifelong love of language, travel, and an appreciation for other cultures. Her work has appeared in The Rise Up Review, The California Quarterly, and Antiheroin Chic, among others.