in short supply
we search day and evening
through the gemstones then the
rusty remnants of our lives
in hopes of finding
fingerprints of the world
that was
the world we loved
we cry
we sob
we weep
we plead
we start again
we ask the artist
take on
the task
the mission
the hard-won act
transform only as you can
to bring us comfort in
the ordinary
the left-behind
the well-washed
defining clarity
with a sable brush
a palette rich
in fondness for
our place
we thank you
in your dance
the endless pavane
into eternal grace

Charlene James-Duguid
Amissville, Virginia
April, 2020