Salutation

after Sainte Genevieve (1887), Charles Sprague Pearch

O Attila-deflector, young bride of what’s above
the clouds, shoulders back, surveying
fields unsown while roofs wait to be thatched
and patched dresses gain more holes—
what lies beyond a life of sheep?

What cries out louder than their bleats
for your attention and clasped hands—
what lack of wind, what still, small voice
can be heard that you would stare it down,
sure and unblinking?

Or are you moments away from bowing your head,
knees a moment away from buckling,
only upright for the waiting?
Are the clouds full of well-water?
Is it about to rain?

Johanna E. Hall is a Pushcart-nominated poet from Charlottesville, VA whose writing generally features lesbianism, God, disability, and/or various troubled pasts. Find more at johannapoet.com or on Instagram @johannahallwrites.