Wild Acolyte

Jenny Beldame

If my body is a temple

I am its priest

I will offer it the strongest grains

my grandfathers did not farm the land

for me to starve

I will pluck the ripest, juiciest fruits

and serve them in golden bowls

to this body

my mothers did not give me a full belly

for me to remain barren

For this temple

I will sacrifice the fattest calves

my uncles did not drive the steers

for my bones to require a scaffold

I shall wash this temple in abundant flora

from verdant forests

my aunts did not teach the medicines

for me to fall ill

This temple will glisten with fragrant oils

from the lushest groves

my fathers did not fell the trees

for me to not feel home

I shall adorn this temple in the finest flax and silks

my grandmothers did not weave their fingers numb

creating wonderful garments

for my skin to chap in the wilderness

I shall glorify this temple

for this body is a testament

of perseverance and triumph

the love and glory

of time eternal

More from Jenny Beldame ↓

• @jennybeldame on Instagram
• Jenny Beldame on Substack

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One Poem Only submissions are open.

This round, I’m looking for poems about what remains. What stays with us when we experience change? What survives? What do we yearn to carry forward? Send me the poem you wrote and want the world to hear. Also, if you’d like to read your own poem on the podcast, you can. Submit a clear audio file recorded in a quiet space—no perfect studio recording required. And yes, your poem can have been previously published in a literary magazine, in print, or on social media. Submissions close Thursday, October 29. I’ll respond by Wednesday, November 11. Whether I read your poem or you read it yourself, I’d love to hear what you have to share.

One Poem Only Submissions Form