The Poetry Well is a monthly column that showcases island poetry. This month includes a poem by Jessika Satori.

Yours

“The nearer I am to you, the less my soul knows of fear.”

— Michelangelo to Vittoria Colonna

The nearer I place myself to the fire

I am ecstatic — a sign you will soon be home —

to you and through you I breathe.

The less I dabble in obstinance, the faster my soul rejoices — anxiety vanishes — it

knows I am determined yet made

of tender kisses of warm hyacinth’d rain.

Fear banishes in the soiled clothes I dressed it in.

Jessika Satori manifests her creative talents in multiple disciplines. As a writer, she has published poems, screenplays and books and has studied with Anne Waldman, Bill Kittredge, Stewart Stern and Michael Arndt. She has produced and directed 12 short films that have been shown at film festivals such as the Ojai Film Festival. She is also a photographer and painter whose work has been exhibited at VALISE Gallery, The Hardware Store Restaurant, Heron’s Nest and Vashon Intuitive Arts, as well as a musician who has participated in local music events and played with the Vashon Ukulele Society. Satori also leads retreats focused on Celtic spirituality, entrepreneurship and sacred art.

In addition to her creative endeavors, Satori is a business consultant and professor who has taught in the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Russia and Madagascar as well as the United States. She volunteers with many island charities and ran for the Unofficial Mayor of Vashon in 2017, representing American Hero Quilts.