as light

God’s Justice

 

In the beginning there were days set aside for various tasks.

On the day He was to create justice

God got involved in making a dragonfly

 

and lost track of time.

It was about two inches long

with turquoise dots all down its back like Lauren Bacall.

 

God watched it bend its tiny wire elbows

as it set about cleaning the transparent case of its head.

The eye globes mounted on the case

 

rotated this way and that

as it polished every angle.

Inside the case

 

which was glassy black like the windows of a downtown bank

God could see the machinery humming

and He watched the hum

 

travel all the way down turquoise dots to the end of the tail

and breathe off as light.

Its black wings vibrated in and out.

---Anne Carson

Done