Behold Thy Mother

Madre della Consolazione by Nikolaos Tzafouris
Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens

In a dim-lit gallery hung with icons,
Glykophilousa—prototypes of
Mother of Tenderness abound.
The eyes of the Madre della Consolazione
stop me. In her direct gaze,
I behold a kindness emanating
from behind the glass. I linger
musing on the confluence of art
and devotion that brought this Mary   
to life five centuries ago on Crete—
an icon artist’s practice tuned
in strokes and colors learned
from Venetian masters.