Aroma of the coming
baptism. Sky a shining
cross and Jesus at the
door. The dry
earth waits for what will
fall: fat drops of
grace. The shimmering
horizon, a holy
icon. I’ve been
jealous, demanding
kisses, ignoring my dreams.
Lord be with us. There’s no
mercy in a storm, and though I try I’m
not a believer. Only an
outburst will do, an unsolvable
problem to melt my resistance,
quicken my pulse. The sky
ripples. Everywhere I look I see a
signal grace. Leave me something for
tomorrow: broken,
unclean, something I can fix, a
Virgin Mary mystery. I’m pregnant
with words. The sky gathers itself in pre-
ecstasy. My head’s full of
yellow light as a
zephyr blows in.
–
Erica Goss is the author of Night Court. Her flash essay, “Just a Big Cat,” was one of Creative Nonfiction’s top-read stories for 2021. Recent and upcoming publications include The Georgia Review, Oregon Humanities, Creative Nonfiction, Spillway, Redactions, Consequence, The Sunlight Press, The Pedestal, San Pedro River Review, and Critical Read.