June 2024
Evie Groch
egroch@comcast.net
egroch@comcast.net
Bio Note: Before I create a poem, I must feel a certain passion for the subject and allow it to course through my veins. My themes revolve around travel, language, immigration, and justice. I have been published in numerous anthologies and on many venues. I am currently working on my second book of poems, my first one being Half the Hurricanes, available on Amazon.
Ten Reasons You Are Holy Water
You stagnate in baptismal fonts,
wash away sins in souls,
cleanse bodies in the mikva,
are boiled to welcome newborns,
purify after the ritual slaughter,
soak meat to honor kashrut,
wash the feet of poor,
part to allow Israelites to escape,
are used to bless the people,
You are a magic elixir
that has no religion,
yet flows through them all.
Hems and Haws
Look at the shoes first, then the hems of her pants.
They’ll tell you as much about her as her eyes.
The worn down soles, the stepped on shoe-backs,
and the scuffed toes supply adjectives for her economic
status in life.
The uneven unraveling hems discolored from stepping
on them, trailing threads behind them, speak to her
priorities in understated ways.
Nothing else about her gives her away.
Hair neatly combed, blouse tucked in only in front,
sweater arms tied across her chest,
jeans ripped righteously at her knees,
so in vogue.
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