On the Passing of Sr. Dianna Ortiz

An angel delivered, the virgin dove. She who
Undrowned the morrow, an inviolable flame, the
Prophet maid who stepped on the tiger’s tail, and

Was enveloped by the darkness; who unsheathed
The Word, and then in innocence drowned. Wildflower
Tapestry cut down by the immutable scythe, a laughing

Child on a swing, once more to the gentle, dissolving
Memories beyond the demons of the damned, undrawn
The burning of the meadows. Stripped and thrown into

A cell where three evil angels presided, married to God
And then ravaged by the Devil, to Golgotha primordial
Arrived that gentlest of lambs. Abandoned by the heavens,

Forsaken by the stars, with the screams of the tortured
Withering all around her, terrors adamantine where no
Beacon shone, no immortal chalice to unlock the redeemer.

She who was shorn of sweet reverie, the crucifix trampled
On the inhuman gelid ground; disintegrating rivers that
Wept cascading dream, her pleading met only with more

Cackling from the cannibals, as the ghost of Arbenz faded
In the night. Banished without bread unto an aphotic pit of
Hell, yet who triumphed over violence and tyranny with love.

Mesmeric falling rains, as the moon-drawn raven cries, raging
Was the ocean, trapped in grief-filled sighs. Her ethereal hand
Offering solace to the desolate, she who defied the Kraken,

Who shook her fist at Satan’s lair, kindhearted eyes that sang
The song of the revenant. The leaves rustle softly for the
The one who bowed but did not break, as the gulls caress the

Air an eye of righteousness is drawn; harrowing wraiths that
Hovered over every door, unmasked the visage beneath the
Wandering skies. A dove ascends the firmament and disappears

Over the horizon, leaving the world of cruelty and man; the long
Interminable night now over, beyond the anguish and the sorrow,
The heartache and despair, a spirit in torment, finally at rest.

David Penner’s articles on politics and health care have appeared in Dissident Voice, CounterPunch, Global Research, The Saker blog, OffGuardian and KevinMD; while his poetry can be found at Dissident Voice, Mad in America, and redtailedhawk.substack.com. Also a photographer, he is the author of three books of portraiture: Faces of The New Economy, Faces of Manhattan Island, and Manhattan Pairs. He can be reached at 321davidadam@gmail.com. Read other articles by David.