Woman

Joanne Rush

Listen to my words:

I am Helen, I am Ruth,

I who defied Agamemnon

Gasp the scattered chaff,

Kiss a stranger’s dusty feet.

I am Rachel weeping

For her children.

I am childless and an orphan.

Listen (turn your face to me)

I’m a witch and I’m a ghoul:

Seared by too much light

My prophecies run down

My hands and softly fall.

Joanne Rush is an award-winning short story writer, an art critic, and a poet. Her fiction has been featured in collections such as Best British Stories, Ghost: 100 Stories to Read with the Lights On, and Northern Gravy, and her poetry can be found in journals including Diet Milk, One Sentence Poems, and Across the Margins. She lives in Wiltshire, England, where she is working on her debut novel – a tale of art, identity, and secrets. Website: JoanneRush.co.uk Twitter: @jonicolarush