Entrances//Deaths ~ Parable

In the April of Covid 19
Day 21

“And the birds of the winged tree flying my name”
Dylan Thomas

The World Tree
The Wild Wood Tarot
Fair Use

Parable

This side of the grave

and endless wandering

I come at last to the place

where I shall lay

my cheek upon the chest

of the one tree press an ear

to the heartbeat

of an unfolding tale

and surrender my name

to the roots

of the world that I may become

the parable of four seasons

leaf fall and bud

rotten and growing beyond

the living maze

and firesong guardian

 soul of the ancestors.

Skylover Wordlist: Parables
Play It Again Toads: Tree Mythology
Inspired by The Wildwood Tarot by Mark Ryan & John Matthews, art by Will Worthington.

Medusa

A Portrait in Contemplation

The Seamstress
@catschappach
Used With Permission

I’ve attempted to make up my mind:
to settle on one ideal above
a dozen practicalities…
but each thought slides away
which was, even now, on the tip of my tongue.

I am the seamstress of my misfortune:
the designer of this bespoke
snakeskin suit…
my hands, the implements of chaos,
have woven an obtuse pattern of scales.

Even the Spring is unseasonable:
thorns are growing through
sharper than needles…
and self-healing is but another
way of unravelling my imprecise stitches.

A woman is ever conscious of her womb:
knows the possibilities birthed
by slippery carnality…
What constricts may not kill
but this sly smile hides my certain fangs.


Art FLASH!  features the surreal art of Cat Scappach.

Initiation

Shamans are said to die when they enter the spirit world through trance.

Source: San People

It begins with a smoky haze,
the sound of your own feet stamping
and tongue clicks reverberant
in your mind drawing you entranced
to the sandstone cave of your ancestors.

ǀKágge̥n rises as a shadow
thrown against the wall of your mind,
an indelible figure of hooked claws
remorselessly ripping to shreds
barriers of sanity to be let in.

With glassine eyes, he turns
to observe your fear and hungrily,
consumes the twisted dreams
churned in blood and ash of this reality:
Man is the Mantis incarnate.


This poem was inspired by the art of Quincy Washington, whose 'Blossom Hunter' mantis can be seen on Instagram @albanusdesign and can also be seen on my @skyloverpoetry page.

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis
Kerry O'Connor

@skyloverpoetry

Metamorphosis

Sinkholes appear
on arrival of the solstice
and this one is no different
though whether valedictory tunes
are beaten out with the bones
of vanquished enemies
on hairy hides pulled taut,
or echo a two-step garage
drum machine in the grime,
I cannot clearly distinguish.
                                         No matter,
some dark hybrid syncopation lies
tightly coiled and vibrating
at low frequency
while meteors tear up the sky.
My hands feel empty:
a nervous tension writhes
along my backbone as I wait
for my carapace to split open
and some newer, shinier fusion of self
to emerge, damp and wrinkled,
into the  reverberant present.


This is a poem from my Skylover Collection, recently edited and illustrated for the Solstice, whether that be Summer or Winter depends on your relationship to the equator, but nonetheless the change is felt by all, especially we, who have passed through the longest night.

Shared in The Imaginary Garden for Toni's Weekend Mini Challenge.

Hreindýr

And once more I remember that the beginning
is broken.
W.S. Merwin

Flame Keeper
Jason Limberg
Used with Permission

You made a promise,
the kind that tastes of blood and salt
when spoken:
‘I will always be here.’
and thus you remain
as if rooted
while the years and seasons
wrap themselves around you
and branches grow
from your skull
always bare
always heavy
as the thoughts
which burn trails
set your nerves alight
and the night moths flutter
like snowflakes
of sorrow from your eyes.
‘I will always be here.’
Words unspoken:
Only your crown of bone branches
and a promise remains.


Day 21 ~ PROMISE

Kim is our host in The Imaginary Garden today, asking us to delve into the mysteries of Tree Mythology.

Inspired by the amazing art of Jason Limberg, I have gone a bit further than the prompt intended by pursuing the mythology of young women transforming into deer, which abound in European and North American folklore.