the heart of the earth
the heart of the earth
a furnace pulses
yet in its spinning
how like a seed in its own pit
surrounded by layers that pearl
within the fruit of our slightly tilted planet
within us too
somewhere in a rooted core
a restless
spinning
heart
with its own sacred fire
Sister Lou Ella Hickman, OVISS is a former teacher and librarian whose writings have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. Press 53 published her first book of poetry in 2015 entitled she: robed and wordless and her second, Writing the Stars, 2024. She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2017 and in 2020. James Lee III composed “Chavah’s Daughters Speak” for a concert held on May 11, 2021, at 92Y in New York City for five poems from her book. Another concert was held in Cleveland, Ohio on March 28, 2023, sponsored by the Cleveland Chamber Music Society.
