news from an island: twelve thousand people
are unaccounted for, probably underwater.
they are bodies and bones and sunk, probably, somewhere.
there are superstitions about rivers, loaves of bread
and a dollop of silver. there are rumors
that can raise the dead, myths for rivers,
but none for the ocean. when you think about it,
it’s only one big ocean. somewhere deep
are caves lined with sketches of the saints—
same-shining as those at the Philadelphia
Museum of Art, the halls and halls of them, god—
saints of honesty and saints of motherhood, saints of geometry
and saints of medicine. saints of feminism and saints
of Dadaism, saints that live on picture cards, swim
with whales, don’t know how to die. saints that bless
seas, sneeze honey, harp the dusk to eventide, read
and discuss fascinating novels. saints that drown
out commercials with bleats from a coronet,
rusted from all that saltwater, stolen
from a high school marching band, twelve thousand
strong, and out of tune.
***
Kimberly Ann Southwick is the founder and editor in chief of Gigantic Sequins. Her poetry has been published in various online and print journals and is forthcoming at H_NGM_N, likewise folio, and Death Hums. Her chapbook every song by Patsy Cline came out this year from dancing girl press. Kimberly lives in Philadelphia (you should too) and wants the Eagles to win the Superbowl every year. @kimannjosouth \\ kimber
The Patron Saints originally appeared on decomP in May 2012.