A Primer — Mischa Willett

Stack Takeover: Mischa Willett. We’ll be reading poetry from Mischa every week, including four poems published for the first time on this Substack. For an introduction to Mischa, read Ben Palpant’s interview with him here.

For more articles, videos, books, and resources about faith and art, visit RabbitRoom.com

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A Primer

after Primus St. John

Often there is a cave
or a river or a dark—
and that’s where we are.

When it comes up, 
I start to believe the mythologists
who made the world.

Meanwhile, I pretend 
I am newly walled and hearing the law
for the first time and tearing
tearing the stories up and my sins
and my father.

But we are doing this together. 

“That is not what I meant,”
the dark cave mouths,
“But you hear the same voice, 
like a river, as I.”
So I swallow it. Every last 
Word from the honeyed
beginning, like it’s milk. 

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Photo by Iswanto Arif on Unsplash