Mikvah (pantoum)
submerged and unseen
           in an archaic well –
                      women thought dirty
                                   by men of G-d
in an archaic well,
           with bodies purified
                       by men of G-d,
                                   ensnaring the fecund
with bodies purified,
           my sisters were bait
                       ensnaring the fecund
                                   in their water ringed curls
my sisters were bait,
           fertile and sullen –
                       in their water ringed curls
                                  hid the birth of the world
fertile and sullen,
           women thought dirty
                       hid the birth of the world –
                                   submerged and unseen
Lisa Delan is classical soprano specializing in American Art Song; performing, recording, and commissioning musical settings of an expansive range of poetry. She has recorded extensively for the Pentatone label and can be heard on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, and other streaming platforms. Her own poetry appears in American Writers Review (San Fedele Press 2022), Beyond Words Literary Magazine, Cathexis Northwest Press, Drunk Monkeys, Lone Mountain Literary Society, Mill Valley Literary Review, Poets Choice, The Pointed Circle, Tangled Locks, Viewless Wings, and Wingless Dreamer.
