Rachel Ann Russell

POETRY

Church in August

“Church in August” read by Rachel Ann Russell.

A weaving of everything together
Big and little sunflowers bursting yellow over the Table
The whole mess, the whole web
Tangled, untangled, hidden, revealed
Let’s comb it out, let’s come together
Shining with mystery and holding the cross-shaped
Darkness deep in the heart of it all
If we can’t remember the three
Points, persons, prayers
See our hands palm to palm
pressing all the colors that create this
Singular moment, this together now

Filled with Feathers

“Filled with Feathers” read by Rachel Ann Russell.

Hear a cacophony of birds
a fan of wings blowing
noisy wind everywhere
combined with the noise
of squawks and shrieks
nary a gentle coo

Wild it was above us
and the whole thing taught us
a new balance to walking
holding those flames over our heads

Rarely had we been heard so clearly
that folk would stop and listen
No more gentle doves —
We held onto our hats
and gave away our cloaks
and stepped out of the house
into the wind.

Rachel Ann Russell has been writing poems for a long time, and most recently has been accepted by the Maryland Literary Review, Christian Courier, and Time of Singing. In 2024, she was one of the winners of the Poetic Musings contest in Fairfax County Public Library System. She is working on a Master of Arts degree at Wesley Theological Seminary.

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