Lorette C. Luzajic

White Mare

after Gertrude Abercrombie

You are alone, again, a solitary coral bloom in deserted midnight. The moon follows you everywhere, a fingernail of frost cutting open your sky. You walk through walls and stand at the edge of the night, overlooking long lanes of empty houses. There is a ladder propped against a bare branch and you do not know where it goes. You stare back at an owl that lands in the tree above you. You cannot read his secrets, but you are no longer afraid of everything. The bird hoots, then turns into a mirror, and a black cat is your reflection. You raise one arm, wave it, claiming the kingdom as your own. A white mare appears. You mount her in silence, knowing you will go with her, without question: wherever she leads you is your way home.

Lorette C. Luzajic is a widely published writer, internationally collected visual artist, and editor of The Ekphrastic Review.