Shadows

sept-2013-the-crone

(photo credit: rogueverbumancer.com)

The shadow of the Crone
tainted my day
Her cloak trailed
reluctantly behind her
as she slowly crossed my path,
full of compassion
for those the shadow would touch

Messages of death
collided
in their haste to be announced first

I eyed the hag warily
ugly messenger delivering ugly messages
but she continued on her way
unfazed
oblivious
to the turmoil
her news brought to my life

We enter the world knowing
we must leave one day
but somehow in our pursuit of life
this knowledge is lost
we approach return passage
with trepidation
or fear

One of the calls
announced the departure
of my Godmother
not a fairy like Cinderella’s
but a beautiful woman who
wove magic
into memories
especially from my childhood

“Tonnie” was another graceful soul
in my life for the briefest moment
a treasured friend and cousin
of my mother in law
When we met
it was as though I belonged no where else

I feel fortunate to have known them
for this brief time

Their sudden entry and exit from my world
leaves me reeling
wondering about the ways of the netherworld
what deals have been made
and are exacted when we least expect
Crone recalling what was once hers
hag doing her dirty work

Life is truly
“the blink of an eye”

Gate Keepers

Pieter_Janszoon_Saenredam_Interior_of_the_Church_of_St_Bavo_in_Haarlem

(Image by Pieter Janszoon Saenredam)

The gatekeepers raise their sleepy heads
They have been dormant a long while
Many years have passed since anyone has crossed the threshold
Their curiosity is more intense than any fear that the visitors
may cause harm

The sentinels observe silently from the shadows
Maintaining their invisibility
They want to take in all they can before their presence is made known
Perhaps they will choose to remain in the shadows
A silent whisper in the corner
Or a large drop dripping off a soaring column

The visitors drop their voices to a hush as they enter the vaulted chamber
They cannot see any sign of life
The gatekeepers are well hidden
Still the transients sense another energy surrounds them
A flicker of the torch
A coolness across the cheek

Walls are looked at with awe
Painted fresco moves and dances in the firelight of the torch
Brought to life briefly with the illumination
Carved sculptures flow smoothly as light and eyes pass over them

The gatekeepers are content to allow the visitors to wander
They are moving with care and respect
Stepping carefully, touching softly
Whispering prayers of thanksgiving and homage
To deities of their own

As they retreat the gatekeepers scan the grotto and see
All is as it should be
Content that all is in order
They allow their heads to droop and close their sleepy eyes

(Inspired after visiting Oude Kerk Amsterdam circa 1605)

Environmental S.O.S

Primordial drums resonate deep within the soul
Calls
Whispers of ancient wisdom
reverberate off cityscape
tease with their presence

Last rays of dying sun shimmer
before slips behind mountains
Promise of greatness lies within flaming sky
just as in elusive whispers

Tribal chants hums beneath a discordant thrum of Deerfoot traffic
seems a respite from chaotic rat race

Toxic sludge flows through veins
threatening to poison
The noxious routine pumping waste
onto the landscape
pump, pumps and ooze
pump and ooze
guzzling greed for god

Erect aspens tremble
Geese migrate over scarred pits of earth
ripped apart, left raw and suppurating
No place to land

Feel the throb
pulsating cry for help
rituals of our ancestors
beg for release
ache to cleanse and heal

Primordial drums resonate deep within the souldrum