VOTE! 2009 LUGHNASADH/IMBOLC LONG POEMS

[Earthwoman]

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[Bronzewing]

"The White Knight. (For Sid.)"

More often off his charger than on
Bumbling along
With this plan or that
No single-minded goals for him
But a head full
Of dreams

No person all bad
Not to him

Interested in
Everything
In people and trees
And social rights
In tinkering on this or that

Built a home of room joined to room
Leading to room
Alice’s maze
Made with this and that
As it came to hand
Laid carefully in place
Love made solid

Loved to talk
In his gentle way
Talk that meandered and
Bumbled along
Like some local rain-fed stream
Till I marvelled as much as him
In words and ideas and people and nature
And even in
Myself

And that was his gift
To all he met
A piece of his own regard
He fed you
Like the caterpillar fed Alice the mushroom
Till you grew bigger
In your own eyes
And you could look above the trees

The vague air he wore
That White Rabbit-ness
Was armour
Covering the glowing spark of
His great soul

That flaming mind
Only sometimes sneaking through
In the sparkle in his eye
As he delighted in the words
And the world
And made me feel
Like Alice in Wonderland
As he led me
Down the rabbit-hole
Into ever more fantastical forests of idea.

[kytty]

Robbed

For years he had sat on the side lines
And watched all he longed for pass him by.
Others it seemed obtained it freely
From those whom he'd sought it,
They left him high and dry.

But time and time hard effort
was yet again deplored.
Not this time son,
You time will come
And you'll be the one adorned.

And so the carrots was dangled
And so the circle turned
And those who saw it happen
Felt sorrow for one so spurned

Still so desperate, from witin
The craving deeply gnawed
And on the next occasion
He'd bring forth his best
And seek his just reward.

All his best he gathered round
And placed it out on show
And still the answer came back firmly
Not this time son
No

Never did he anger.
Never did he scorn.
Never did he sulk or cry,
Never walked forllorn.

But worst still in his greaving
He closed his mind and soul.
He turned his back on achieving
As his heart turned black as cold

The bitterness that dwelt with in him
Turned quickly to dispair.
One by one dark shadows gathered
He seemed damaged beyond repair.

For little did they know
How simple the answer be.
Instead of simply looking
If they could only see.

One simple word of kindness
Was all that it would take.
How one simple word of kindness
Would have all the difference make.

[bohemian]

For Meg

Getting On

I’m getting on, I’m an old dog now
A little bit smelly
And a little bit scruffier.
I’m not the dog I used to be.

Save me a space on the sofa,
I’ll lie and watch you work,
I’ll watch you play with the other dog
And pretend I don’t care.
But when the doorbell rings,
I’ll be the first one there.
My bite was never up to much,
But my bark is still good
I’ll protect and look after you
When I know you’re there behind me.

I’m not the dog I used to be.
I need to know you still care.
I’ll pretend I don’t want a fuss and a hug,
But I’m slow to move away.
I’ll look up at you with my weary eyes,
Not as sparkly but filled with love
And when you look away
I’ll go and lie behind the sofa,
Out of sight and out of mind
While the other dog runs around your feet
Like I used to do.
I’m not the dog I used to be.
And I know.

And I know when we go walking
The other dog will run ahead, like I used to.
I’d rather walk by your side
Or lag behind,
I know you’ll wait for me.
When the other dog chases rabbits
Like I used to, I’ll just watch.
And I know if its raining
I’d rather stay at home
But when I’m wet
You’ll dry me first so my legs don’t ache.
And I know when it’s tea time
You’ll give me mine first.

And I know you’re grateful
For the times I saved you from the postman
And the time I chased the bin man away,
And if I hadn’t been there,
Who knows what that cat would have done to you?
Where was that other dog then?
The time you lost your stick in the river
And I brought it back for you
And all the balls I chased for you
And the times I took you for a walk
That other dog wasn’t there then.
But I was.

And when I’m asleep,
Beside you on the bed at night,
When my feet start twitching,
I’m still that dog I used to be,
And it’s just you and me
And I can chase all those rabbits
And have the sofa to myself
And have you to myself
And I don’t have to share.

When you come home from work,
I’ll be the first one to the door,
Never mind that other dog,
I love you more.
When I sit and look at you
With my legs all awry,
The other dog sitting where I used to,
I know that you love her
But you loved me first
And you’ve loved me longer
And you’ll look after me now,
Like I’ve looked after you
Because I’m not the dog I used to be,
And I know.

[White Willow]

Blodeuwedd

Poor Blodeuwedd, the flower faced goddess
She never asked to be fashioned for Llew
So she rebelled against the arrangement
And made a plot with Gronwu

One foot to be placed on the cauldron
Another on the back of a goat
By the banks of a deep river flowing
Being unable just to slit Llew's throat

A year and a day in the making
Was the poisoned spear of Gronwu
Ready to throw from an ambush
He hopes to pierce the heart of Llew

Blodeuwedd sets up the ambush
She has made a shelter of thatch
All of the other requirements are set
Gronwu throws, and the spear is dispatched

But Llew does not die in that instant
But changed into an eagle he flew
Away to an oak between two banks
To suffer from the wound of Gronwu


Llew’s soul was found want and empty
By his father Gwyddion who knew
The various potions to save him
From the poisoned spear of Gronwu

A year and a day it then passes
And Llew’s strength it is now renewed
By Gwyddions hand he’s return’ed
Many spells and potions were used

A challenge the young lion then issues
To Blodeuwedd’s man Gronwu
A duel to the death it is offered
A single spear will be thrown by Llew

Gronwu will not stand in the open
So behind a rock he can hide
But Llew’s spear pierces the rock
And buries itself deep in Gronwu’s side

Gronwu has died an untimely death
Poor Blodeuwedd is turned to an owl
To never show her face in the daylight
For plotting this murder so foul



By White Willow

[Wailand]

Mooreland Stone

Sheep drift down
Graze soft fragrant turf
As cloud upon the wind
Long time lying
On mooreland mountain
Naked to the dome of sky
Hear was my birth
Beneath in deepest dark
In unlit fire
In ancient earth

Wet with cloud
Green with moss
And bright glow of lichen
Deep in soft slow waves
Of seeding grass
Gentle winds ever flowing
Break and pass
Along my back with sighs
And on into the blue
Unknowing

Night comes
Spirits gather mighty ones
Of earth and sea and sky
To dance the night
Hold high their offerings
In purity of frost and dew
From darkest hour
Until with open eye
Birds sing up the dawn
With faint stars falling

And now one comes to rest
A little space to see
That far horizon
High peaks and glittering sea
faint warmth of hand
Briefly turns the day then
Clouds from grey westward grow
Soft now falls the rain
To cool and hurry home

Again alone
Wet now my skin
Dark with tears
To run away in streams
Through rich dark loam,
Mark you my years!
Watcher of this place
This sacred land I treasure
While planet turns
While birds fly south
While lasts this world
Where all is one
Forever

[Earthwoman]

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