“Book of Judith” (2024) - Rachel Sumner
Hair wild, crawling down her collar bone
Black ivy sprawling on a wall of stone
Judith uncovered her old vanity
Marking the end of her widowing grief

Dust billowed up from the coarse painters sheet
And settled on top of the gold fleur de lis
That topped off the mirror, framing her face
She opened the armoire and pulled out her lace

Oh I’d make you a saint if
I could
I’d make you a saint if
I could

A king's army keen on destroying her home
Had cornered her people, they'd nowhere to go
And no one was daring, though all were despairing
All but dear Judith....

Men run unfettered through muck and through mire
And some are run through by the sword of desire
Judith, she knew this, with charm, wine, and spite
Toward the encampment, she ran through the night

Oh I’d make you a saint if
I could
I’d make you a saint if
I could

Judith's allure was the key to the border
And she made her way to the General's quarters
She promised him secrets, poured wine heavy-handed
And she wore him down, just as she planned it

Red was the color of the setting sun
Red, the fine satin dress she had on
Now red’s seeping through where he once lay asleep
And Judith's returning his sword to it's sheath

As soon as the cardinal dawn lit her path
She left the tent with a crimson soaked sack
Was welcomed home royally
When she offered the head of the head of their enemy

Oh I’d make you a saint if
I could
I’d make you a saint if
I could
I’d make you a saint if
I could