Sacred Rituals

Poet: Maggie Queeney

laurel tree, limbs bent and twined into crown heifer bank of marsh reeds,

handful lashed into pipes, song in another breath a clutch of conifers, weeping

amber black bear, quarry, constellation white crow, black crow grass-

cropping mare flames voice repeating the last darkened mulberry

fragrant incense seeping out of the ground violet-like flower tracing

the sun's path rock darkness-seeking bats sea goddess rock

rock rock rock rock seabirds serpent a prize, a bride

monster crowned in snakes, ossifier, weapon black and white magpies

arguing in near-language water-flowing-fountain half-alive, half-dead

flock of tuneful, maiden-faced birds one of a pair of mountains crane

stork ash-gray spider weaving her traps in the corners of the ceiling

corpse corpse corpse corpse corpse corpse corpse

spring weeping into the summit's anorexic air nightingale swallow traitor,

mother, cast-off ex-wife, witch, weaver of the poisoned robe, deadly gift,

filicide, unnatural marble figure corpse patricide, exile, heron diadem

in the sky guinea hens five isles a further island linden tree

slave then fisherman then mare then bird then cow then deer weasel lotus

that bleeds when plucked lotus spring flowing from a shrub oak

male twice-dead shade rock whores, shame burning their bodies red into

rock myrrh lioness grove of oaks halcyon male barking

bitch snapping her jaws snow-white doves deadly whirlpool virgin-

faced hounds snarling between her thighs water, then nothing a statue

of a woman a star inside her husband constellation corpse, living female,

fountain of chilled water

Copyright Credit: Maggie Queeney, "Metamorphoses: The Female Into" from In Kind. Copyright © 2023 by Maggie Queeney. Reprinted by permission of University of Iowa Press.

Source: In Kind (University of Iowa Press, 2023)