Synkroniciti is excited to welcome poet (and photographer) Celeste Budwit-Hunter of Houston, Texas, with “So Many Jewels.” This poem explores the moment a business card stuck into a book of poems became a lifeline. Celeste has recovered from a rare form of cancer thanks to the response of her body, a team of doctors, friends and family, and the generosity of a donor she didn’t even know. This leads her to muse on how we are all connected.
“Co-arising—like remembering/ that the atoms in our bodies/ are the traces of stars—/ and in the field of coincidence/ we shine together.”
Celeste is one of several cancer survivors in this issue, each with their own story, imagery and insight into the journey. The vividness of her imagery is elegant and simple, belying its depth. This poem is a jewel itself, crafted with economy and polish. Each stanza grows gracefully out of the one before, like a small galaxy spiraling or a flower opening to reveal another layer of petals.
Read “So Many Jewels” in Synkroniciti’s “Recovery” issue, available for purchase here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Celeste Budwit-Hunter works for Johnson Space Center, where she edits procedures performed by astronauts and flight controllers. Having survived a rare cancer thanks to an unrelated donor, she celebrates life through poetry, photography, and hikes in the woods. Her writing has been published by Sudden Flash, Spider Road Press, Houston Writers House, and in collaborations of Women in the Visual and Literary Arts (WiVLA). Her photography has been published in The Persimmon Tree and Equinox Journal.