"After the raven" by Chelsea Jackson

Image Credit: Ashish Thakur, obtained and licensed by Unsplash

After the raven

Noah sent the dove
and the dove found a branch around the corner — rested
stretched, enjoyed some alone time. Laughed,
when God commanded take a branch back to Noah
plunged into the waves to ruffle feathers and rinse promise.

Noah sent the dove a second time
and the dove found a forest boisterous and bountiful — bathed
in the juices of fruit streaming down its breast. Balked,
when God urged take a branch back to Noah
found a puddle, to scrub its nectar beak clean and choke joy,

accidentally coughed up an olive branch on Noah’s shoes.

Noah sent the dove a third time
and the dove had no water to fold into — flirted
with the exhausted clouds. Froze,
when God whispered, please
spurned such holy ego, and flew off the edge of the earth.

And god got high off altar ash
as Noah, the divinely chosen
breathed hot air onto glaciers
bled oil into oceans
burned holes into the heavens.

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Chelsea Jackson uses her poetry to ask hard questions, interrogate inherited social narratives, and explore what it means to be human. Her work can be found in Tiny Seed Literary Journal, Passengers Journal, Fatal Flaw Literary Magazine, and the Platform Review, and she was a finalist in the 2020 Driftwood Press In-House Poetry Contest. Chelsea has her MFA in Poetry from Drew University, and regularly teaches workshops. Originally from Southeastern, Virginia, she now lives in Philadelphia with her partner, grouchy cat, and cuddly pit bull. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @sea_c_j.