The Passage
Dearest Maj,
your stretched arms welcome
redbuds and angels to Arcadia.
Your smile embraces magnolia blossoms
pressing Noah’s 30-ounce body against your chest.
What can I do but miss you both?
Tears stream into the Cuyahoga River.
Your eyes ignite, guiding Noah’s path
through flowering dogwoods and peonies.
Tell me, does he smile without pain?
Artist-instructor Clarissa Jakobsons was twice featured poet in Paris, France at “The Shakespeare and Co. Bookstore” and was winner of the Akron Art Museum New Words Competition. She has read and published widely. Recently she enjoyed a solo art exhibition at Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, OH. Clarissa instructs various writing and art courses at Cuyahoga Community College and weaves one-of-a-kind artist books exhibited internationally. She writes, “Don’t be surprised to see my inner artist kicking sandcastles, climbing Mount Diablo, painting Provincetown dunes, or writing under an Ohio crescent moon.”