Mary: Wing
Have you ever held
a wing in your hand? It would
have been broken, if you did.
Gabriel did not have wings.
He came quietly in the dark, and though
he shone in pale robes, he was standing
as you and I do. I dreamt of him often
in the first few weeks. In my dreams
he had wings, but strange, frightening ones.
One wing was black, feather tips sharp as blades.
One was white, feathery as flour.
I don’t know what this means.
Savta tells me all pregnant women
have dreams. But most women
haven’t met Gabriel.
Once I walked along the shore
of the sea. There on the pebbly rocks
was a whole white wing. I held it in my hand
I smoothed the bent feathers.
I am good at taking care of broken things.
I think most of us mothers are. We want to
tell our children, first, that the world is not a broken
place. And later, yes but we can fix it. And still
later, yes but we don’t have to be broken ourselves.
And finally, there can be a kind of beauty
in brokenness. Perhaps your brokenness will fit
in someone else’s hand
and give that hand
important work to do.
Have you ever held
a wing in your hand? It would
have been broken, if you did.
Gabriel did not have wings.
He came quietly in the dark, and though
he shone in pale robes, he was standing
as you and I do. I dreamt of him often
in the first few weeks. In my dreams
he had wings, but strange, frightening ones.
One wing was black, feather tips sharp as blades.
One was white, feathery as flour.
I don’t know what this means.
Savta tells me all pregnant women
have dreams. But most women
haven’t met Gabriel.
Once I walked along the shore
of the sea. There on the pebbly rocks
was a whole white wing. I held it in my hand
I smoothed the bent feathers.
I am good at taking care of broken things.
I think most of us mothers are. We want to
tell our children, first, that the world is not a broken
place. And later, yes but we can fix it. And still
later, yes but we don’t have to be broken ourselves.
And finally, there can be a kind of beauty
in brokenness. Perhaps your brokenness will fit
in someone else’s hand
and give that hand
important work to do.