The Distance
With a nod to Dante’s Purgatorio
The gnarled and arching stems of the blackberry vines
rise above the fence like readied souls.
Bent on climbing the drowsing mountain
to be cleansed for final ascent into heaven,
the tortuous canes are equally weighted with barbs
and sweet, dark fruit—
the distance between sin and redemption,
coming down to a few mildewed leaves.
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Laura Ann Reed is the author of the chapbook Homage to Kafka (Poetry Box, 2025). Her poems have appeared in Merion West, The Laurel Review, Wildness, Humana Obscura, Bicoastal Review, The Ekphrastic Review, and other journals, as well as in nine anthologies including Poetry of Presence II (Grayson Books, 2023). Reed holds master’s degrees in clinical psychology and performing arts, and is a Contributing Editor with The Montréal Review. https://lauraannreed.net
Lightwood 