Poetry

For Bahia, Bay of all Saints

“Beyond every essence, a new essence awaits.”
C. Milocz

We descend into tunnels built by slaves,
roaming alone, in me catacombs open

Tourmaline waves speak to me
I hear their roaring koan, in me the ocean opens

Houses formed on monsoon hills, one over another
slip into seafoam, in me fragility opens

The flamboyant tree unfurls its red-tipped wings
over Pelourinho, its seeds blown, in me desire opens

A monarch butterfly ascends to my window
in tangerine tones, in me a journey opens

A boy in shadow crafts me a rose of coconut palms,
in me a shadow rose opens

The Church of Bom Fim wraps scarlet strings
around wrists and bones, in me devotion opens

Twilight falls on the Bay, the light
pools silver and stone, in me Deborah opens

Deborah Leipziger

Deborah Leipziger is an author, poet, and advisor on sustainability. Born in Brazil, Ms. Leipziger is the author of several books on sustainability and human rights. Her poems have been published in eight countries, in such magazines and journals as Pangyrus, Salamander, Lily Poetry Review, and Revista Cardenal. She is the co-founder of Soul-Lit, an on-line poetry magazine. Her new collection of poems, Story & Bone, was published in early 2023 by Lily Poetry Review Books. Her chapbook, Flower Map, was published by Finishing Line Press. Her work appears in numerous anthologies, including Tree Lines: 21st Century American Poems.

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