Joanna
Her hands lay colour light
as lips on paper
with the utmost care,
in faith the soul may leave us
as the sun the hills,
effacing shadows with all shadow,
or the moon the sea, reflection
rippling into time between,
the space in the world that held her
invisibly healing.
from Fire-Penny (Otago University Press, 2005), © Cilla McQueen 2005, used by permission of the author and the publishers. Recording from a private recording: Cilla McQeen reads from Fire-Penny and Soundings (2011.