Hymn for the End of Drought
by Frances Revel
had fattened had sunned
had fevered as was
instructed by those
before me. tilted
the vial of what water
could be gathered
to my lip. reached
full youth and sauntered
to the twilight
field of husks. followed
suit and peeled my own.
unspooled and miraculous,
it stretched into shapes
to allow me to build
a husk mother. gave her
palms and irises of
beaming chestnut
hull. allowed me
to build a husk
father. gave him
a wool neck. dug between
them ‘til the earth
was wet and had about it
a drumbeat. it did not
resist. between the two,
a something. it gave its
title to my cause. immediately
I fattened it. I sunned it.
I brought it to the pillowy
ditch bottom, devoid
of water and of perfect
size for us. I dared not
wake it from the bed
I'd gathered of crocus
petal and jasmine’s hypnotic
lull. Once tempered
the heart now knew
to whinny up against
its bounds.
I composed for us
a breath that entered
that entered