Thomas Piekarski- A Poem

           Santa Rosalia                                   

                                                                      

Santa Rosalia, patron saint                       

of Monterey, her bronze statue                  

peers out over a pure azure Pacific.

Cross and bible in hand

she guides ships near and far.

 

She’s an Italian Christian

from the Dark Ages, obscure

to all but knowledgeable hearts.

 

But she’s plenty ambulant,

in fact transubstantiational

to the degree of directing

with deliberate lassitude

unsuspecting mariners

through thick and thin.

Thomas Piekarski is a former editor of the California State Poetry Quarterly. His poetry and interviews have appeared in Nimrod, Portland Review, Kestrel, Cream City Review, Poetry Salzburg, Boston Poetry Magazine, Gertrude, The Bacon Review, and many others.  He has published a travel guide, Best Choices In Northern California, and Time Lines, a book of poems. He lives in Marina, California.