Virginia Konchan is the author of five poetry collections, including Requiem (University of Chicago Press, 2025) and Bel Canto, as well as a short story collection, Anatomical Gift. Coeditor of Marbles on the Floor: How to Assemble a Book of Poems, she holds a PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Program for Writers. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Matins

by Virginia Konchan

The philosopher sat shiva with his shadow,
knowing the truth was without and within.
The clay he was wouldn’t take him there,
nor the flag rippling wildly in harsh wind.
Abraham waited, as did David and Joseph,
Moses, Hannah, Isaiah, Ruth, Jacob, Paul.
Each hour an unmet hunger, an ardent plea.

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