Perilous Journey*

two things at once: the heads of five women and ocean

ocean unabetted by moonlight caresses
ocean that defeats the land
ocean that erodes rocks

floods destroy their homes and food
sea menace reaches up to block their passing    clouds
a dismal grey, waiting to pounce the flight

                                  steadfast refugees, different colors, yet the same
                                  precariously perched in this world 
                                  navigating from danger to a new home

I want to write this poem so it swallows the excess water of the world
I want to write this poem so the colors embrace the words
I want to write this poem so it gives all people a place in the world
I want to write this so the women journey to safety and I disappear into the poem

Perilous Journey. Oil, 60” x 36” by Irene Christensen
*From the upcoming book Dread and Splendor: Paintings and Poems for a New Earth (Shanti Arts, 2025) by Eileen P. Kennedy and Irene Christensen.