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Beloved Disciple

        after Plautilla Nelli’s The Last Supper, c. 1560 (thought to be the first Last Supper           painting done by a woman, with Nelli using other nuns as models)
 
Again she has us all dressed up
as men, the best of men, each of
her sisters, sisters to each other.
It should feel less natural, to be
snuggled up to the side of Jesus
as only a man can be, my eyes
in peaceful close as I think myself
Beloved. I feel a halo forming
without motherhood or martyrdom,
just from love and listening
to the one who loves me back.
I’ve always known his love, but
it feels different now, between
two men. We have an understanding.
Understand me, Plautilla,
with your brush. Render
me closer and closer. Christ,
understand me, brother to brother.
I am trying to lean my head on your chest.
 
 

Megan McDermott

Megan McDermott is a poet and Episcopal priest living in Western Massachusetts. Her first full-length collection, Jesus Merch: A Catalog in Poems, was published in 2023 with Fernwood Press. She is also the author of two chapbooks, Woman as Communion (Game Over Books) and Prayer Book for Contemporary Dating (Ethel Zine and Micro-Press). Her poems have been published or are forthcoming in a variety of journals, including Amsterdam Review, U.S. Catholic, UCity Review, Moist Poetry Journal, Night Heron Barks, and more. You can connect with her at meganmcdermottpoet.com

About

Megan McDermott is a poet and Episcopal priest living in Western Massachusetts. Her first full-length collection, Jesus Merch: A Catalog in Poems, was published in 2023 with Fernwood Press. She is also the author of two chapbooks, Woman as Communion (Game Over Books) and Prayer Book for Contemporary Dating (Ethel Zine and Micro-Press). Her poems have been published or are forthcoming in a variety of journals, including Amsterdam Review, U.S. Catholic, UCity Review, Moist Poetry Journal, Night Heron Barks, and more. You can connect with her at meganmcdermottpoet.com