Manna? Yes. – a poem by Bethany Besteman 

Manna? Yes.

“Who are you?” murmured Moses, confounded 
by flames—tongues uttering, nothing eating.
        Yes. I am. Tell those who wonder that 
I am. Fast forward past the plagues, past sundered 
        seas. See I am’s people wandering, 
still wondering, bellies murmuring, 
throats thirsting. See them looking back 
with longing, mouths muttering. See
I am sending dew—sweet, heavy. See
it settling, dry ground soaking,
and in its wake, transparent flakes, a flame
in frost form. “Manna?” I am’s people ask 
(for manna means, “What is it?”). Manna. Yes.

Bethany Besteman is a writer and editor who lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. She holds degrees from Catholic University of America (PhD, MA) and Calvin University (BA). Her poetry has appeared in Relief, Cable Street, and Solum Journal among other publications.