Finalist – 2026 James H. Nash Contest

St. Lucy Holds Her Eyes

by RENEE EMERSON

On a tray before her
in the triptych portrait.
The Basilica walls

are coated with mosaic,
glass tiles set at angles
to shine like candles lit

one at a time, or prayers
that could not penetrate
the stone to the outside.

Where I’m from. I’m not
quite faithless, but I confess
I don’t know who she is,

fair-haired in a crowd
of martyrs, each cradling
what killed them. Our group

cranes their necks to see gold
catch the light encircling
her crown. I hold my eyes
in a closed fist.

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RENEE EMERSON is the author of three poetry collections, most recently Church Ladies (Fernwood Press, 2023). Her poetry has been featured in Shenandoah, Poet Lore, Dappled Things, The Rabbit Room, and other journals. She teaches online writing courses for Indiana Wesleyan University and Writing Workshops Online. Originally from Tennessee, she has lived all over the South and now makes her home in Missouri with her husband and five children. You can find her online at https://reneeemerson.substack.com/.