A Prayer as Dorothy Goes Marching Out

Alan Berecka

September 28, 2022

           for Dorothy Alexander

Little sister there are no more

storms to chase, no more

cases to try, no more

rulings to rule,

no more poems to pen,

the good fight in a red hat

has been fought past the bell

nothing to do now but return

to the corner, let us bind

your wounds, untie your gloves

unwrap your fists. Relax

little sister and slip

between the ropes

into nothingness.

Yet, should you continue

beyond the page, please,

find a loophole and pull us through.

Alan Berecka earns a living as a reference librarian at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. His poetry has appeared in many journals including The Concho River Review, The Windward Review, Ruminate, and The Christian Century. In 2017 he was named the first Poet Laureate of Corpus Christi.