Art: Fabrice Poussin
A CRISIS OF FAITH
A woman shall be silent
in church. She shall be
submissive to her husband.
Her skirt shall be no more
than two inches above the knee.
We girls stood in neat rows
and held sour lemon drops
of shame on our tongues.
At day’s end, others spat out
their burdens, but I learned
to enjoy the acrid taste.
The Father’s stern eye
softened many, reduced them
to meat falling off the bone.
It turned me mean, a dog
kicked once too often.
I became claws and teeth
and stabbings words.
I knew my faith was dead
when I stopped kneeling
to pray. Instead I lay in bed
and fought sleep, talking
to God as I would
a boring lover.
About the author:
M. Stone is a bookworm, birdwatcher, and stargazer who writes poetry while living in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in San Pedro River Review, SOFTBLOW, Calamus Journal, and numerous other print and online journals. She can be reached at writermstone.wordpress.com.
Art: Fabrice Poussin
In the artist’s words:
Fabrice Poussin teaches French and English at Shorter University. Author of novels and poetry, his work has appeared in Kestrel, Symposium, The Chimes, and dozens of other magazines. His photography has been published in The Front Porch Review, the San Pedro River Review and more than 300 other publications.
Poussin is adviser for The Chimes, the Shorter University award winning poetry and arts publication. His writing and photography have been published in print, including Kestrel, Symposium, La Pensee Universelle, Paris, and more than 300 other art and literature magazines in the United States and abroad.