in memory of the coptic bus martyrs

who were murdered on their way to

st. samuel the confessor monastery

may 26, 2017

By Sister Lou Ella Hickman                                                       

the wheels of the buses that went round and round came to a stop
who was the first one to descend
stepping into the hot sand
then signed the most ancient of signs
the cross
on a forehead and chest
did the fingers linger on the lips with the silent blessing
i go to God
who would be the last to collapse in death
having watched the sun-blazed terror of bullets
consume even children

Sister Lou Ella Hickman’s poems and articles have appeared in numerous magazines and journals as well as four anthologies. She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2017. Her first book of poetry, she: robed and wordless, was published in 2015 (Press 53).

Image credit: “The icon of Saint Samuel the Confessor at the entrance of His monastery, Egypt,” from st-takla.org.