Virginia Leigh, on the soul sleep doctrine
To diminish the buzz of bluebottles, a bed
of rosemary. My mother's eyes wrung dry,
I, ladylike in starched whites, await it.
I do not hear the lark bunting's warbling
weaving the spruces dark, the columbine
sundown – my soul a night-watch, radiant
lull setting the stillness of walls aglow –
it goes: Perhaps he loves, remembers,
grieves. At last, there comes a foot upon
the stairs, a turn in the keyhole. This final
bird ascends, stroking the visitor, making
colours of the air around him – all faces
forgiven. Wax of my name now melting
into gold – this mission accomplished.
This poem is very loosely based on ‘A Pause’, a poem by Christina Rossetti, first published in 1879. It also contains references to Emily Dickinson.
It is part of a series seeking to explore, appropriate and modernise “death bed” poetry, i.e. poetry written from the point of view of the dying – as previously explored by such poets as Christina Rossetti and Emily Dickinson. All these poems are written from the viewpoint of a speaker named Virginia Leigh, and propose alternate versions of what happened in her last moments.
Lorelei Bacht’s recent work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Inflectionist Review, Proem, Harpy Hybrid Review, The Inflectionist Review, Visitant, Quail Bell, The Wondrous Real, Odd Magazine, Abridged, The Riverbed Review, and others.