Now, and at The Hour of Our Death a Marian prayer with ladybugs Lady-birds—mothers of Christ—autumn seekers of heat and quiet; you return to me in multitudes. You gather for days in high corners of my room, black spots like tiny sins on your blood-red capes. Then, O’ delight! You bless me in my shower stall! Stigmata of my bathroom wall, please pray for us! When ghosts of steam condense, and holy water streams, consider me when you pause to drink.
Lesley-Anne Evans, an Irish-Canadian poet, writes from Feeny Wood, a contemplative woodland retreat in Kelowna, B.C., on the traditional unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Antigonish Review, Letters Journal, The Ekphrastic Review, Contemporary Verse 2, The Catholic Poetry Room, Soul Lit, and other periodicals. Lesley-Anne’s debut poetry collection, Mute Swan, Poems for Maria Queen of the World, was published by The St. Thomas Poetry Series (Toronto) in 2021.
Amethyst Review 