Apotheosis
and news
Hello readers, friends, and occasional passers-by,
I started this Substack in July, which seems like a very long time ago, though after the heat we had last week September can’t come fast enough. It’s raining right now, and the leaves of my neighbours’ trees are beginning to turn and fall.
Before I lose my track entirely by contemplating the seasons, though, some news! Up until now I’ve been (mostly) posting biweekly, with hopes of an eventual increase - which is why I’m glad to tell you that I will now be posting on a weekly basis. I have quite a few poems in drafts that I’m excited to publish, as well as a couple of short stories that have been in the pipeline for a while. I’m looking forward to sharing these with you in the upcoming months.
Meanwhile, as always, thanks for reading Long Oddities!
Yours,
Iris
On the stairs you see her
Climbing wearily, as you are, seeking out
One room among the crowding dozens
One room that is her own, perhaps another’s –
She climbs the creaking stair, and you below her
Watch the folds of her skirt curling and breaking
Like waves on perfect shores, the aching graceful slowness
Of her form, her skin in candlelight.
Half turning, as she does to catch your eye
You turn away, you cannot see
Your eyes reflected in her own, afraid
That she is more than mortal – you pretend
That the light upon the stairs has caught your thoughts
Fixedly you stare, observe its shape,
Colour and shadow you see as if you never had
Before, you stare and stare
Until sight has no meaning any more, up you look
Again. The stair is empty, she has gone
Without a thought, left you, nothing at all;
She has rejoined the gods.