by Laura Felleman

Had forgotten about the end
        How it ends
Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew
       How it ended

It’s ending in whiteness
         of lightning
Blazing
The angelic clothing
       How it begins

Beginning in whiteness of terror
       The guarding
Angel
The color leaves them
        How they end

Had forgotten about the angel
        descending
Visible
In an earthquake
        How it began

The women at the tomb
        after dawn
That first day walking
To the tomb
        where it ended

Mariam and Maria at an end
        to behold
Struck by lightning
Those keeping guard
        quaking like death

Trembling to white
        The tombstone
Rolling
Perching on it, preaching, the angel
       He is risen

The women running
        It begins
In terror
With great joy
         Who would believe?

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Currently, Laura Felleman is an accountant at the University of Iowa. Before that, she was a seminary professor. Prior to that, she was a pastor. She moved to Iowa City with her husband in 2016 and started writing poetry soon afterwards. She credits the Free Generative Writing Workshops with her growth as a poet. To give back to the writing community, she organizes a writers’ open mic at the public library (or via Zoom during the pandemic) and serves on the advisory council of Iowa City Poetry. Her first chapbook, The Length of a Clenched Fist, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press.

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