i.
   she, hand in hand, walks–
    her fingers swallowed by His palm
etched rough with living.

         the endless climbing stairway turns
     blood to snow to blood to snow to
  shifting flow as footsteps slow and
         down
              down(down)
                   they go.

    nineteen steps
         with that flaking ferrous slab
     as high as heaven high as falcon wing
          high as stars tangled in black […]