Revealed Hope
Upon breaking like a cubed egg the snow’s innards glow with a blue light akin to the painted color
of the Madonna’s robe as represented on those sculptures having risen in a multitude of front yards and back
throughout this neighborhood and others, with many featuring feet trampling the serpent, who shall only bruise,
if at all, the heel hidden beneath the folds of that Virgin hue that breaks also, a cool yolk, under the chilled blade of consistent effort,
confirming color in a world drained these days and waiting in the still end of the first month for the quickening, the heat of renewing life
Natural Catechism
The heat lightning illuminates the underbelly of God, you see?
sleek and iridescent as a pearl who let us in on her secrets
behind these diaphanous curves that counterfeit the day’s light
for a sharp instant—which gives these glimpses underneath the guise
of clumsy clouds, who do their jobs anyway—enrobing Deus in sanctest white
ritual-ready for the night, especially when lit by high electricity, suggesting
if not revealing the secrets Θεοs dares all to guess
John Zedolik is an adjunct English instructor in Pittsburgh. He has published poems in such journals as Commonweal, Poem, and Transom. In June 2019 he published a full-length collection entitled Salient Points and Sharp Angles (CW Books), which is available on Amazon. His most recent collections are When the Spirit Moves Me: Examinations of Faith (Wipf & Stock/Resource Publications, 2021) and Mother Mourning (Wipf & Stock/Resource Publications, 2022).