Card II
The High Priestess attends a Masked Ball
she believes rain dulls the edge of unhappiness and in a world
out of practice with silence, she wants to forget about words
and float beyond form or thought. she wants to sharpen
the oval face of sound, imagines herself as confessor,
the quiet muse, a journal. promising to leave nothing
to chance, she’ll hold secrets speechless against her breast.
she will be the keeper of lock and key while night suffocates
the last light under a blanket of stars. she believes it’s possible
to pretend herself into solitude, possible to cover small
indiscretions with a laugh and murmur thrown in the right
direction. she wants to fall in love with no consequences,
teach the moon to recite her name--a prayer for the dying.
Card III
The Empress becomes an Agnostic
she imagines blackbirds flying in a straight line
over flat land, wonders how love feels when it’s raw
before the sharp edge of regret cuts down the sun.
night drifts to dream and she sews a scarecrow
using rags from the past. she’ll hide her sins
and wrap his straw arms
around herself to keep warm. she never believed
in second chances and even now is not willing
to trade memories for repentance.
one day, when loneliness is gone and forgotten
she’ll hear a voice catch in the wind and listen
for the distant sound of beating wings.
Card IV
The Emperor contemplates abdication
Imagine a forest without trees, flat land with no end
in sight, tired scarecrows stuffed with remnants
of the past are the sole residents.
Straw men have nothing to look forward to
they hold loneliness like a talisman, their thin
voices lost between rows of corn.
Soon, he will never have to worry about emerald
cities or enchanted woods. He will seek warmth
in the comfort of what might have been,
sleep with no chance of dreams. He will wake up
unafraid of the empty bed, unafraid of the black
birds that stare him in the eye.
Card V
The Hierophant decides to take a mistress
Gently disintegrate me, leave me blind
because I no longer need my sight
no longer need the warmth and safety
of the familiar.
I will fuse the impossible with the unknown,
unburden myself from fear and wait
for you to explain the tides that pull me
closer to fire. There will be a time
ripe for forgiveness but today is raw
and truth too far away to grasp.
Card XI
Justice crosses the river alone
you’re patient as i talk about the weather again,
wanting only to catch a glimpse of the sky
turning down the corner of your mouth.
we have no reason to believe the waves will break
the silence, so i make the sign of the cross
on the skin between your ribs.
if i could tie pieces of myself to a single blade
of grass, find the right words buried under a crippled
moon-you might see the brittle bones of my faith.
The High Priestess attends a Masked Ball
she believes rain dulls the edge of unhappiness and in a world
out of practice with silence, she wants to forget about words
and float beyond form or thought. she wants to sharpen
the oval face of sound, imagines herself as confessor,
the quiet muse, a journal. promising to leave nothing
to chance, she’ll hold secrets speechless against her breast.
she will be the keeper of lock and key while night suffocates
the last light under a blanket of stars. she believes it’s possible
to pretend herself into solitude, possible to cover small
indiscretions with a laugh and murmur thrown in the right
direction. she wants to fall in love with no consequences,
teach the moon to recite her name--a prayer for the dying.
Card III
The Empress becomes an Agnostic
she imagines blackbirds flying in a straight line
over flat land, wonders how love feels when it’s raw
before the sharp edge of regret cuts down the sun.
night drifts to dream and she sews a scarecrow
using rags from the past. she’ll hide her sins
and wrap his straw arms
around herself to keep warm. she never believed
in second chances and even now is not willing
to trade memories for repentance.
one day, when loneliness is gone and forgotten
she’ll hear a voice catch in the wind and listen
for the distant sound of beating wings.
Card IV
The Emperor contemplates abdication
Imagine a forest without trees, flat land with no end
in sight, tired scarecrows stuffed with remnants
of the past are the sole residents.
Straw men have nothing to look forward to
they hold loneliness like a talisman, their thin
voices lost between rows of corn.
Soon, he will never have to worry about emerald
cities or enchanted woods. He will seek warmth
in the comfort of what might have been,
sleep with no chance of dreams. He will wake up
unafraid of the empty bed, unafraid of the black
birds that stare him in the eye.
Card V
The Hierophant decides to take a mistress
Gently disintegrate me, leave me blind
because I no longer need my sight
no longer need the warmth and safety
of the familiar.
I will fuse the impossible with the unknown,
unburden myself from fear and wait
for you to explain the tides that pull me
closer to fire. There will be a time
ripe for forgiveness but today is raw
and truth too far away to grasp.
Card XI
Justice crosses the river alone
you’re patient as i talk about the weather again,
wanting only to catch a glimpse of the sky
turning down the corner of your mouth.
we have no reason to believe the waves will break
the silence, so i make the sign of the cross
on the skin between your ribs.
if i could tie pieces of myself to a single blade
of grass, find the right words buried under a crippled
moon-you might see the brittle bones of my faith.
Alex Stolis
Alex Stolis lives in Minneapolis
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