Kate Mulvaney Remembers Her Father

“To perceive matter that casts no shadow, you must search not for its presence but for its consequence.”—Robert Macfarlane, Underworld

Something in the steam rising off the berries

she stews into uncture reminds her

of her father teaching Greek

to enraptured students. She always loved

the way his handwriting drifted

across the chalkboard

in front of his class, the words

so heavy with mystery, so full

of portent—σωτηρία

hung up there for all in need,

scratched onto the board’s black slate

to bring some sign of grace

back into this mist-filled world. By habit, 

she raises her hand for permission to read.