after Chris Kads

Only a Goddess can unravel my red velvet
petals, kiss my prickly thorns
midwife my soul through a womb
rebirth me back to eternity.
Please grant me pink granite
at the gravesite beside my mother:
her monument engraved with lilies
and a star of David. Grant me belief in you
Oh, soaring Goddess of silken scarves
in the sky, dawns that ripple periwinkle
sunsets, that melt honey for my mother
an atheist and a Jew. I blow a Ram’s horn
to atone, dip blood on my plate ten times
for each plague in Pharaoh’s Egypt
so my heart won’t harden
against enemies—I ask you
place roses on my headstone
after death tastes me—
And please Goddess of the Graveyard
give Adam back his rib!

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Sandra Beth Levy has published poetry and creative nonfiction in the U.S. and internationally with literary magazines, journals, and anthologies. Two of her poems were shortlisted for the “2026 Rough Diamond Poetry Prize.” She was nominated for “Best of the Net” by The Orange Rose and awarded “The Unforgettable Line Panel Award” by Three Panels Press. She has pieces with Anomaly Poetry, Arcana Poetry Press, A Curious Moon, SHINE Quarterly, Viridine Literary, Azarao Literary, The Poetry Lighthouse, Quillkeepers Press, Cosmic Daffodil, Wild Willow, The Orange Rose, Red Rose Thorns, and Nettle Literary, amongst others. Her debut poetry chapbook with Finishing Line Press will launch in February 2027. She is a retired psychologist who passionately practiced the healing art of psychotherapy for over forty years and is now pursuing her dream of immersion in creative writing. Sandra explores themes of love, loss, motherhood, intergenerational trauma, sexuality, aging, spirituality, and awe of nature in her writing. Instagram: @slevy43.