These days of great intensity

by Judy Katz-Levine

I am climbing Miriam's ladder, the rungs are pearl,

calla lilies float around me.

The down-gray sky urges fortitude and the whistling of a strange harmony

imbued with the intensity of a gospel.

Nothing will pull me down, no evil hand

brushing against a dying bird will keep me from life's breath.

The daughter I am climbing with will be singing her high lydians

and her computers will send lights to mysterious friends.

There's a thrill to life,

an edge to the way hands move through my hair.

You can bet they are not invisible,

you can bet they are doves.

* * * * *

Judy Katz-Levine's book The Everything Saint was published in 2018 by Word Poetry (available on Amazon).  Of the book, the publisher says "The Everything Saint shows us the holy in the ordinary, and Judy Katz-Levine is a faithful guide to such wonders."  Her recent poetry and translations have appeared in Writing In A Woman's Voice, Miriam's Well, Salamander, Blue Unicorn, Ibbetson Street, Event Horizon, Peacock Journal, and many other venues.  Also a jazz flutist, she enjoys playing at jam sessions.