Incantation
She stands to see the sun
illuminate campfire smoke,
sends an incantation to the day,
a prayer for happiness,
a prayer for peace to all.
She stands on the ledge,
arms raised high giving her
a presence, an authority,
an all too-certain rule
over my too-human heart.
Silhouetted as she calls,
I have to see her breasts,
the lines of her body,
bringing memories of night
to my too-human eyes.
(after the 1905 photograph, “Incantation,” by Anne Brigman)