Another Life

Poetry Another Life —Beyond the Monastery Walls No white walls in the heaven of her thoughts; no oyster tiles, cold underneath her feet, no bare feet, come to think of it. No long contours or corridors to replicate her body’s mute arroyos, small wrists with tender capillaries . . . . The woman was a child of empty rooms; she held a chalk with forefinger and thumb, and drew sweet, blushing faces. No white winds in the heaven of her thoughts; instead, she’s come into a rich and quaint hotel, pots filled with potting soil at every window. The lobby is crowded, like the cedar chests she left: two gowns, three Christenings, one veil . . . . The woman keeps her postcards in her purse, for memory is a travel she re-members, squinting at a far, outlasting glare. Now heaven breaks the white walls of her thoughts, instead clear panels gather up her face: fine eyes and thick forgiving hair. If only she knew how or when, and in which spot, the earth will bear its best: its brilliant red geraniums. ß Sofia M. Starnes Author biography Sofia M. Starnes, Virginia’s Poet Laureate, 2012–2014, is the author of Fully Into Ashes (Wings Press) and four other poetry collections, three of them winners of national awards. She has also edited two poetry anthologies, and serves as Poetry Editor and Poetry Book Review Editor of The Anglican Theological Review. Christianity & Literature 2016, Vol. 65(2) 242–243 ! The Author(s) 2016 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/ journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0148333116631245 cal.sagepub.com ...