A Case of Transubstantiation

Isabelle Koch

I need a place to hold your spirit,

so I make my liver a tabernacle

for no soul but yours to rest within me

a slowly sipped espresso martini

fogging up my mind and buzzing up my heart

not a smidge of bitterness found in our love

no tannic wines extracting,

just a sweetness poured in

and a burning desire for

more more more

closeness, oneness,

transubstantiate me, baby—

be a holy union with me.

"A Case of You" by Joni Mitchell

Isabelle Koch (she/her) is a rising senior at the University of Evansville, studying Literature. She was inspired by Joni Mitchell’s “Case of You” to write a poem that further explores the idea of romance as a holy communion.