by STEPHANIE JOY TISDALE

Terico Harper, “Mom and Daughter,” 2016

Our Lady of Sorrow (Dolores)

with transition

she transcends

evolves into the invisible

speaks through signs

symbols

the subtle jump of candle’s light

flickering

she is silent

(mostly)

records skip

her favorite song plays

instead of mines

I feel her smile on me

she still has that smile

ever so often

I go to lay on the grass

growing above

where her bones rest

right where her body used to be

in a padded white box

with gold trim

inside, a picture of her

us

we

three

encapsulated

& epitaph-adjacent

6ft of separation

that aches with

otherworldly distance

I lay on the earth side

I sing for us both

my bones & me

her bones & she

I was her’s once

bonded by womb-space and epic memory

adored

wanted

known

loved

now

I attend to her after-life

and my life

after her life

lived

I pick up heart pieces

the sharp edges slice

through my hands

a painless reminder;

I am here, still

eye water spills

in remembrance

we depart from our midway point

she, mother of the living

me, daughter of the dead

The Art of Covenant: Part I

voice more

(or less)

sing into the shadows

plant frequency

evolve into sound

beget rhythms

channel tones

float into the ferocious waves

answer the call

(you are calling)

respond with gifts

give

be of sound

mind/ heart/ body

spirit

shine

with light

be a sun ray

or a moon glow

or

be a prayer

made of meteors

stardust

& limestone

force(s)

are with you

Stephanie Joy Tisdale was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. She attended Howard University, Lincoln University, and Temple University for undergraduate and graduate studies in English Literature, Education, and Africana Studies (respectively). She is an educator, writer, editor, and performing artist.