My words I will recant, and sweare
I know your hand is wondrous faire.
— William Strode
Somehow, by terrible mistake—
yours, mine, ours—
the sturdy clay jug that carried water
all our lives, kept safe
near the hearth, waxing in its warmth,
has been left out of doors
in the chill autumn air, covered over
with a frosty white blanket, beautiful still,
but icy to the touch.
What is cherished cries out to be held.
Knowing what must be done,
we pass the vessel back and forth,
cradle it close, trusting that a slow thaw
will stave off cracks so difficult to mend
this late in our years.
–
Ann Weil’s poetry appears in Best New Poets 2024, Pedestal Magazine, Inflectionist Review, RHINO, Chestnut Review, DMQ Review, Maudlin House, 3Elements Review, and elsewhere. Weil is the author of Lifecycle of a Beautiful Woman (Yellow Arrow Publishing, 2023) and Blue Dog Road Trip (Gnashing Teeth Publishing, 2024). A four-time Pushcart nominee, Weil lives with her husband in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
© 2025, Ann Weil
Halfway Down the Stairs 