poetry

From "Misterios"
by J. Neil C. Garcia

The Annunciation

Morning, or early dusk. That line where things
leave their borders, dissolve into darkness
and light.

She is only a girl. She finds herself
lost inside the temple his words hollow
into the cooler side of day.

Her voice inside it croons like distant thunder.
And what it says is, Come in.

She is surprised at her candor, the force
of her own little-known conviction.
He tells her she is chosen,
in this way he raises her

above the mortal, gives her
an awesome gift, leaves her little room
for doubt, or for pleasure. She is, to be honest,
struck dumb with terror,
which she recognizes is also a form of religious assent.

What does it mean, after all,
the Yes she mutters above the angel’s bright call?
She is young, her life has yet to happen
in any real sense.

In the meantime the warmth of his eyes becomes
the warmth of her own prone body,
spreading from the tips of his voice
to her inmost skin.

What does it mean to be told God loves you,
at the same time he takes your childhood away?

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