after Spider Queen by Préfète Duffaut
Like every position before or since
yours is a matter of stance
and composition.
I stare past her open expression.
I promised Duffaut I would not write
blessed, bare feet, Hail Mary.
Her wide stance balances
the weight of faith’s anchor with
his palette’s creation—hope in primary
colors. The web shimmers.
The path of love circles higher into
altitude’s hallucinations—heart sickness intense
with mourning’s circulation. I too carry
gratitude for my mother—her petite frame twisted
into a swayback position. I trenched through
her twilight sleep—opened up her private
enclosure. My cusp of Gen X bonds to her
silent generation. All mothers sacrifice
some measure of strength for each gestation.
We search for healing beyond
generational trauma.
In the landscape of beauty she floats
with lightness—granted by full forgiveness.
I lack both compass and direction.
How to rock- paper- scissor- the next destination?
My path twists around routes blending
western Lutheran and eastern meditation.
I stand on the border of thistles—inhale
your complications—a mix of botanical
oil and pigment—I seek a sprinkle of Haitian
voo-doo stirred with holy water—I wait
for seeds to germinate then bloom beyond
quantum imagination.
Judge’s Comment:
"The honourable mention poems were also stunning. In "Faith Float Foundation" the reader is pulled into mystery and ceremony, connecting to both love and trauma in our stories. It's a gorgeous illustration that we hold both within us."
Poet’s Comment:
”Before I began drafting my poem in response to ‘Spider Queen’ I researched the artist, Prefete Duffaut and learned that he paints from a spiritual imagination influenced by Christianity and voodoo. He had a dream that he should decorate a chapel with images of the Virgin Mary and later received $300 in payment for art which was the largest sum he had received to date. He stated it was a gift from Mary and mentioned. . . ‘You can see a church in all my paintings.’ As I started drafting poems I thought in terms of three—{solid, liquid, vapor} {faith, hope and love} {rock, paper, scissors} {anchor, cross, heart}—charms to dangle on a long hank of braid.”