Physic Garden, London
We entered the underground,
hurried to the British Museum, studied mummified cats,
and cocked an inner-ear to the marble head of Serapis,
Milton’s death mask, Greek statue that spoke the future.
We inquired after a daughter fallen into the earth,
a mother lost in the maze.
Stalked rows of plants at the Physic Garden
for poisons and prescriptions from the Himalayas
and Afghanistan: foxglove to heal the heart, poppies
to dull the pain. We stood beneath the pomegranate tree,
Persephone holding the bloody, sweet fruit, gazing
at her new husband, Hades. In transit we prayed
for a last touch, a gift from those farther ahead.
MARK McKAIN has published two chapbooks: Blue Sun by Aldrich Press and Ranging the Moon by Pudding House Publications. Read more.