Light, Bulb
By Mischa Willett
“You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:68
What a spring was vaulting
from the snow so new so thawed
the ground so sopped the thought
drawn blank from bank to the bank
you take it to. What heat
what new fruit what news to know
now how deep a sleep the baked
ground blankets beneath as
we too and soon enough. What sweet
then. What swoon.
Still, till noon drives light into loam
and seeds filagree forth, we wriggle and rest.
Who times these falls? Who said it best?
Mischa Willa is Director of the Whitworth Writers Workshop, a faith-based low-residency MFA program in Creative Writing hosted in Spokane, WA. He is the poet responsible for the forthcoming book This Gift Card Has Already Been Redeemed, and others, namely The Elegy Beta and Phases. His essays, translations, and academic articles appear in a wide range of international venues.
“Light, Bulb” by Mischa Willett will be published in the collection This Gift Card Has Already Been Redeemed by Paraclete Press on October 13, 2026. You can pre-order a copy here.
