A Literary Magazine in Support of the Jewish Community
Psalm of Morning
I shall not offer my hand
as it trembles.
As bruises fade, I save one
for you.
On the edge of loneliness, I fall from kindness
my bones scattered
at the foot of a bed.
Keep me in your mouth, between your teeth
memorize my blood
as a sailor maps seas.
Lift up your head and thrust open my door
and without shame come
within, our hallowed bodies
no longer full of grace.
Examine the back of my knees, the hair on my thigh
prove me worthy
try my flesh beneath palms.
Wash your fingers clean and leave me now
to seek salvation
on the pillow
where you slept.
Bernadette McComish
Born in a blizzard in NY, Bernadette McComish earned an MFA from Sarah Lawrence and an MA in TESOL from Hunter College. Her poems have appeared in The Los Angeles Press, The Cortland Review, For Women Who Roar, Slipstream, Flypaper Magazine, Waxing and Waning, Peregrine, Indolent Books, and Rising Phoenix. Additionally, she won the 2022 Kali Moksha Prize for Poetry, was a finalist for the CD Wright Prize in Poetry, and was a finalist for the New Millennium Writers 41st Poetry Prize. She is the author of two chapbooks: The Book of Johns (Dancing Girl Press, 2018) and Florence Nightingale’s Lost Log (Lily Poetry Chapbooks, 2021). In addition to teaching high school, she also performs poetry and produces shows with The Poetry Society of New York, making poetry accessible to everyone.
