Pandemic Magi, by Jude Bradley

Adoration of the Kings, by Gerard David (Netherlands) 1515–1523?

Pandemic Magi

Peeking through the frame of my front bedroom window, I watch as he tenderly unloads plastic grocery satchels like precious cargo from the hatchback of his camel-coloured Prius. The pale young man’s bushy ginger moustache and beard push against the pleats of his blue surgical mask.  He could pass for the middle king in Gerard David’s imagining of Matthew’s gospel. He deposits the sacks carefully at the front door’s threshold like gifts from the three kings - - - my front porch sort of sanctified by Instacart groceries. I accept the provisions with a full heart. The blessings in the sacks are not gold, frankincense, or myrrh, but just as exquisite after nine months of lockdown. Goldfish crackers! Frankfurters! Merlot! 

Jude Bradley

Jude Bradley’s prose has aired on National Public Radio and has been published in Teaching in the Two-Year College journal, and Momentum magazine. Her poetry has been published by literary journals including Tupelo Press and Thimble. Her poetry and flash fiction re-envision classical literature and art and reflect on urban life in an ever-shrinking, ever-expanding world. Her poem “Argos” was nominated for the 2019 Pushcart Prize. She is lifelong writing teacher who loves to sing, dance, and garden. She is the Reverend Al Green’s biggest fan.