“O my heart which I had from my mother!
O my heart of my different ages!
Do not stand up as a witness against me”
–The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead
for having made you love
that kohl-eyed falcon of a man,
caught in the fistfight between
ghost and slave.
Do not be hostile, but forgive me
for letting the wind pluck you
from my wrist and toss you
into the river by the teeth.
I have chased every piece left,
losing only one. He has it still,
hidden in the fish of his stomach,
nested in bread and beer.
Surely you are lighter than the feather
on the scales now. I bound you up
with string and silk, and spoke
no deceit on earth. So do not accuse me
of carelessness, of unrighteousness.
I knew what I was doing when I
ate his pomegranate. I knew, when he
lifted your partridge body to his lips.
Ellen Webre
Ellen Webre is a biracial California poet, and former editor Chapman University’s Calliope Literary Magazine. She has had the privilege to be a part of the wonderful Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Orange County Poetry scene. The world of folklore and fantasy has always been home to her, and it often follows her into reality.
Artist: Alexandra Khitrova, “Bastet”
Website: http://gaudibuendia.deviantart.com/
Gingerbread House Lit Mag 