Praise all transparent things! Praise
the cellophane glitter of a dragonfly wing,
the raindrop pendant on a rose-petal’s rim, praise
the arc of clear cornea, the rill of the brook, praise!
Rejoice in translucence! Rejoice
in the shimmer of silk at the window,
the jewelled wash of a stained-glass nave, rejoice
in the dapple of leaves, in the lumen of backlit cloud, rejoice!
Bless the opaque in its drenches of colour! Bless
the rich russet furrows, the furze of red mittens,
the ivory curve of the children’s cheeks, bless
grey bark of the poplars, the emerald of moss, bless!
Give glory to reflective things! Glory
to quicksilver viaducts into setting moons,
to spectrum-scattering bevels in palm-cupped crystal, glory
to truth-telling mirrors, to luminous eyes, glory!
Exult in the givers of light! Exult
in candles which gutter in sconces,
fires which flicker in cracked-stone rings, exult
in star-pricked nights, in the glorious orb
which dances us round and round in magnificent light,
exult, exult!
About this Poem
Callista Markotich has been a teacher, principal and Superintendent of Education in Eastern Ontario. Retired, she lives in Kingston, Ontario. Her poetry appears in editions of Prairie Fire, Riddlefence, The New Quarterly, The Nashwaak Review, Saddlebag Dispatches and Pilgrimage, in a few ezines and anthologies and in Room, where it received Room’s 2019 poetry award.
