Cistern with St. Chrysostom | Sojourners
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Cistern with St. Chrysostom

A poem
By Leslie Williams
An illustration of an underground waterway filled with pillars of brick, supporting arches of stone that give way to a ceiling of greenery and vines. A single gondola floats on the calm water in the center with a person standing in it with a lamp.
Illustration by Ric Carrasquillo
September/October 2023

Dome of the rock
dome of the belly

every diaphragm
its own firmament

waters above
from waters below

eyeglasses flecked with salt spots
remnants of our oceans

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The cover for Sojourners' September/October 2023 issue, featuring a blue illustration of a woman praying. You can see tendrils of her nervous system glowing through her skin. She's surrounded by black bramble, stained glass windows, and a church building.
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Illustration by Ric Carrasquillo