The Mercy Program — Madeleine Carrington

poetry & painting ☆

poetry & painting ☆

I lie on my back,

brow furrowed

arms reaching.

I wait for my shepherd,

I forgive him

for the time he is taking.

And I wait for my garden

my crops

my bread-breaking,

my heart poundless

and an end to aching.

I wait for my shepherd,

by the manufacturing building.

I turn to my side,

I feel the spilling.

Like milk in the dirt,

like mother humming,

like father's shirt,

like the car left running.

In my garden

I will have a grove of fruit trees,

and I will pluck and pluck

each vibrant harvest.

And the bark will probably scrape

and scrape my knees,

the knees we carry with us.

On the air we'll hear the purring

of the mountain leopard,

with questions foaming

on his tender tongue.

‘Can you, my child, forgive the shepherd,

for every miracle he has done.’

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Madeleine Carrington is an oil painter and creator often found online under the username Holy Grail Girl. Her work explores the intersections of religion, technology, nature, and grief, often using medieval Christian art motifs to comment on the modern world.