LEGION OF MARY
The sisters rummage through her bureau.
Holy cards and rosaries, prayers to Saint Jude,
mixed in with her mama-style undies.
Save this, it was her favorite sweater.
No, it’s too ratty and pilled.
Give this photograph to your brother.
No, his wife will just throw it out.
Did she really believe in all of this?
Why doesn’t Mary help her now?
Little brothers, jumping on the bed, broke the Virgin statue.
She sobbed behind the closed bedroom door,
tears falling on the broken blue pieces.
One sister, in a moment of false piety, joined the Legion of Mary.
The other posed as little Mary at the Saint Joseph table.
Infant of Prague, we dressed that baby Jesus in his purple Easter outfit.
Racking up venial sins that never made it to confession.
Staring at the sisters with pale, vacant eyes,
Why doesn’t Mary help her now?
Elisa Lanzi is a multimedia artist and writer working at the intersection of printmaking and book arts. An ardent traveler, she draws inspiration from sojourns to the Mediterranean. Elisa had an earlier career in libraries and museums, fueling her deep engagement with books and art. Outside of the studio she enjoys herb gardening and cooking with friends and family. Elisa grew up in an Italian-American family in Rochester, NY and lives in western Massachusetts.
OVUNQUE SIAMO 