In the Kitchen on Ash Wednesday and Other Poems

by Katie Drobina

IN THE KITCHEN ON ASH WEDNESDAY

In the early morning light,

while feeding the leaven

that rises each day,

I dusted flour

from my fingers.

I imagined myself

smudging the white dust

across my forehead,

in the sign of the cross

in the kitchen where

I have died

a thousand little deaths.

The gritty dust

smeared onto soft

skin, a stark

remembrance

of Death.

From dust,

to dust—

a threshold

for rising things.

BIRDSONG

I’ve heard it said the early morning

song of a bird is a triumphal call of survival,

as if to say,

‘I’ve made it through the night! Have you?”

I do not know if this is true, but

what I do know is that

I, too, will call out with triumph

as the sun climbs,

saying,

“I’ve made it through the night! Have you?”

KATIE DROBINA

Katie is a writer of poetry and prose from a place of paradox. Her writing invites readers to hold wonder in the complexities of living as she delves into topics related to mental health, identity, and faith. Katie has been featured in Magnolia Journal, The Fallow House, The Honest Co., The World Needs More Love Letters, She Is Kindred, and the Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans. After a decade of moving across the country, she now resides near Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and three children. Connect with Katie online at katiedrobina.com and across social media @katiedrobina.