A Woman Grown Beautifully Old
From Sacrifice by © Cecilia Woloch

Some nights in the cave of the tigers,
a woman goes in to be near their sleep.
She doesn't bring jewels,
their teeth are enough.
What she wants is to hear their terrible breathing,
to stand at the mouth of the cave
with the sky on her shoulders,
her face in the heavier darkness.
Her hands drop like stones in a lake to her sides,
her arms are bare.
This is what fearlessness is, and hope:
that the tigers are dreaming of her
as she dreams of them,
that her death has no footprints.

Cecilia Woloch is the author of three collections of poetry, Sacrifice, Tsigan, and Late. Woloch is the founding director of Summer Poetry in Idyllwild. Active in the Los Angeles literary scene for more than twenty years, she conducts poetry workshops for children, young people and adults throughout the United States and Europe, from public schools and universities to prisons and hospitals. Her community involvement includes launching a poetry outreach program with Communities in Schools of Atlanta and collaborating in the creation of International Living's first Paris Poetry Workshop. She maintains homes in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

These poems are reprinted with permission from Woloch's books, Tsigan, The Gypsy Poem and Sacrifice. Information is available at www.ceciliawoloch.com and the books are available at www.amazon.com. These poems are copyrighted and are reprinted here with the author's permission. They may not be reproduced without permission.

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