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Zeus walked his dogs across the sky today

By Steph Percival

That is to say, two rainbows appeared
like hope fulfilled in a January sky.
Sure, the farmer’s almanac calls
them sundogs, or parahelia,
and sure, one is refracted light
from the rain while the other
is cast by a prism of ice crystals
but a rainbow is a rainbow
when you need one.
Rainbow, sundog,
parahelia—with the sun:
all a reminder to let the light in.

Hope, feathered (An Emily Dickinson Redux)

By Steph Percival

Hope is a feathered thing
perched within the soul,
an unseen bird which sings
a wordless tune unceasingly,
a sweet gale carrying on
the winds of life’s storms,
feathers trembling, dithering
and swaying and yet it stays,
a quiet melody chiming on
the darkest of days.

Audio recording of ‘Zeus walked his dogs across the sky today’, written and read by Steph Percival

Audio recording of ‘Hope, Feathered’, written and read by Steph Percival

Steph Percival

Steph Percival is an Atlantic Canadian poet, mama, and sheepadoodle walker. Her work has been published by Central Avenue, Gather, Cozy Ink Press, and SAPP Zine and she has work forthcoming in several anthologies. You can find her poetry on Instagram at @thismanywords.