steward's Poetry and Literature
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Pagan Irish Carol
Yuletide now is come;
Let's all prepare for mirth,
Which fills the Sky and Earth
To greet the sun's rebirth!
The earth-fruits in the fields,
Where'er they still do lie
Rejoin their quiet mother,
Until the sun grows nigh.
Swift breezes waft the white snow,
Whose beauty rare attires
The Earth as she lies sleeping
Beneath the Yule log fires.
Wand'ring frozen Earth,
'midst Oak and Ash and Thorn
The longest night upon us,
E'en stout hearts makes forlorn.
Our hands are joined together
Our fingers intertwine
Our circle draws the dawning
that will the stars outshine.
Swift breezes waft the white snow,
Whose beauty rare attires
The Earth as she lies sleeping
Beneath the Yule log fires.
Time has come upon us:
Great brightness now does soar
The sun returns to warm us
And cheer our hearts once more.
The light has come from darkness
Its warm rays make it clear:
The Earth will yet awaken
To nurture us through the year.
Swift breezes waft the white snow,
Whose beauty rare attires
The Earth as she lies sleeping
Beneath the Yule log fires.
—2005
It Was Five Years Ago
This past August
It was five years ago
I first went to WitchCamp
I came back home to New Jersey
Hope-filled
Convinced of an inevitability of peace.
This month
It was five years ago
I saw not peace
I saw destruction.
I was lucky to escape personal loss;
A friend had planned to go to Windows on the World that morning
But got up late.
She was only halfway up the Turnpike
When the first plane augured in.
This month
It was five years ago
When my brother lost his out-of-town office
In a famous five-sided building
Luckily he was in-town that day.
This month
It was five years ago
When a friend of mine dreamed of Sekhmet
Standing on the waters of the mouth of the Hudson
Blood flowing down the river
She woke screaming.
Her then partner was concerned about whether or not she was sick
And took the day off.
He is a roving computer technician.
He was scheduled to be on the 39th Floor, Tower 2, that day.
This month
It was five years ago
When the then chair of SpiralHeart's Communications Cell, Lizard,
Gave me permission to collect the thoughts of our Community
And preserve them so that our first horrified thoughts
Would not be forgotten.
In Our Own Voices:
SpiralHeart responds to September 11, 2001
Lest we forget...
"They shall grow not old.... as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,
we will remember them." - Laurence Binyon
"Diplomacy is the art of the possible... but not the art of the necessary.
So why, why are the deaths necessary,
when I know something better is possible?" - John M. Ford
—2006
But Tonantzin Lives
Before the conquistadores came
They knew her
She knew them.
Before the blackrobes came
They knew her
She knew them.
Before the bishops came
They knew her
She knew them.
The land was taken
The people were taken
And the blackrobes thought:
'We have taken her away
She will be theirs no longer
She will not ever Be again
In saecula saeculorum. '
But Tonantzin lives:
Compassion in the heart of the people.
But Tonantzin lives:
Even under the name from the blackrobes.
But Tonantzin lives
The Name of Compassion matters not;
Whether Tonantzin or Guadalupe
Kwan Yin, Durga, or Artemis
What matters is the hearts of the people.
For do not even the blackrobes
Associate Compassion with Guadalupe
Under the many names she has
In many cultures in the world?
" Memorare,
o piisima Virgo Maria,
non esse auditum a saeculo,
quemquam ad tua currentem praesidia,
tua implorantem auxilia,
tua petentem suffragia esse derelicta. "
—2006
Samhain Thoughts '06 CE
"Time, like an ever-rolling stream
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op'ning day."
- Isaac Watts, 1719 CE
The Wheel has turned again
As all the fields lie fallow
We come to rest, and then
The season for to hallow
Our forebears we recall
We meet them, now, at Samhain.
Still rest we, one and all
As Earth begins to cool
Our rest persists 'till when
We greet the coming Yule.
—2006
Our Blessed Dead
Our blessed dead, who for a time now rest,
Who for a time in Summerland now guest,
And wait in peace 'till to this world again they quest.
Life triumphs forever;
Blessed be the Goddess!
Their forebears too, who once did they enshrine,
They meet, again, in beauteous world divine;
But Earth still waits, around them once more to entwine.
Life triumphs forever;
Blessed be the Goddess!
Our golden evening brightens in the west;
And all too soon in death's arms we shall nest;
But Summerland waits, for our returning quest.
Life triumphs forever;
Blessed be the Goddess!
But lo! there breaks a brighter, shining day;
Their sorrows quenched, once more all come to play
And this fair Earth, souls once again survey
Life triumphs forever;
Blessed be the Goddess!
From Earth to Summerland and back again
It matters not which world in which we den;
Where'er we are, we'll find a restful glen.
Life triumphs forever;
Blessed be the Goddess!
—2006
Feri Limerick Challenge
A rip-roarin' horny dyke lesbian
Set her sights on a comely young thespian.
The Shakespearean lass
Refused every pass
For her interests were purely equestrian!
—2006
Tanka: Yuletide 2006
—2006
Blessed Beltane 2007
—2007
Death Speaks
“DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so…
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.” – John Donne, 1610 CE
Death
and Life
We Are.
We are the children of Time
And without Death
and Life
and Time
There Is Not.
Life there cannot be
Without Death;
Death there cannot be
Without Life.
Neither of us can be
Without Time.
Time is to Be.
There is no Be without Time;
There is no presence of Being
Without Me
Without Life
For there is no Without.
Without Me
There is no Air
There is no Fire
There is no Water
There is no Earth
And Spirit is Formless
And Spirit is Void
And Spirit is Unaware
And Spirit is but is Not
For It knows Not that it Is.
So, humanity, be not proud
For while I can Die;
So will my sibling Life
As that happens
And all will return to the formless
To the unaware
And even Time may perish…
“…And with strange æons, even death may die…” – H. P. Lovecraft, 1921 CE
—2007
Samhain Diamante 2007
Loss
Pain, Numbed
Crying, Hurting, Collapsing
Grief, Regrets, Bereft, Sadness
Holding, Climbing, Accepting
Resigned, Rested
Renewal
The Wheel turns yet again
—2007
Haiku of gathering trauma
Bad things fill each month
What when bad fills all twelve months:
Terminate oneself?
—2007
Diamante - Time
Time
Ever Never
Playing Joining Dancing
Who saves its partners?
Holding Teaching Renewing
Renewed Savor
Life
—2008
Remembrances of a slandered Goddess
I remember.
I remember rocking the cradle;
The cradle of humanity's civilization.
For thousands of Earth's journeys around its Sun
I was Queen and I was Goddess.
I was heard of in the lands beyond
I was worshipped as Goddess but not taken as Queen
I did not require such.
I had my people in the cradle
My people that I was Queen for
That was enough for any Queen
And as for a Goddess: I accepted other worship
And behaved towards them as a true and faithful Goddess.
Then the murders came.
I remember.
I remember a being who chose Godhead
I remember a being who hid Kingship
Behind his worshipers.
I remember a being who, like me, had his people
I remember a being who, unlike me, rejected all but his people
I remember a being who never reached the lands in my Queenship
I remember a being who told his Priests to kill all but his people
I remember a being who brought slaughter to My worshipers and others
I remember a being who would not be stopped; a Mountain Godhead
I remember a being, a warGod, through and through
I remember a being who has slandered me from that time forward
I remember a being who hid behind his worshipers
I remember taking revenge for his people's killing of my people
I remember not resisting until it was too late
Even now in the Time of Reawakening
I am feared as a killer instead of worshipped as Protectress
He is worshipped as Guardian of Peace instead of condemned as warmonger
He has his people still
He has allowed others to join his people
Provided they are as warlike as those they join
They say their wars are to protect peace
Even now a mongrel nation attacks my ancient Lands
Their leader a worshiper of the warmonger
But here and there, a thought, a prayer, calls me to Reawakening
I know not what power I have left
My worshipers are few and scattered
Evil curses still rain upon me from his worshipers
They believe that my retribution for his attacks
Retribution not was, but rather my war
They believe I am and was the attacker
They believe I will still attack
Even in the thousands of years past where no such has occurred
No such could occur
I remember I am not attacker I am defender
I remember
I remember a time of peace
I remember a time of Queenship
I remember a time when I and mine were Blessed
I do not know if I remember a Future Time which mirrors Past Time
Does anyone remember?
—2008
Samhain Diamante 2008
—2008
Inertia.
Is it inertia
That keeps from sprinting ahead
To life's final goal?
—2008
Description?
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prevented this deviation from being submitted. Please correct any errors indicated
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Why should poetry
Require posting artist notes
Can't people read?
—2008
Yule 2008
Yonder lies the sky so dark
Untouched by hint of sun
Lasting till a bright'ning spark
Evoke the day begun.
Terra re-birthed: the bright beam
In glory doth return;
Dale and wood and wind and stream
Encounter what they yearn.
—2008
Your Chambers Await
Six chambers wait to take your breath
But you must fill them first with Lethe
One bullet you have now in hand
To place within as you have planned
So ope' the chamber, stick it in
Click it closed and give a spin
Suck the barrel with your breath
Pull the trigger: not yet death.
A second chamber now awaits
A second bullet: now they're mates
Cold metal pointing down your throat
A cock, a click, still here, you note.
You fill the third chamber with lead
No fear the risk — 'tis life you dread
Savoring the steel taste
Another chance — another waste.
Three chambers there remain to be
Insurance for eternity
You kiss the bullet then you place
It chambered in for death's embrace
A suck, a spin, a dream, now pull:
Two chambers now you're forced to mull —
Four deaths you've managed to survive
And now you'll try for number five.
You lick the tip of the next round
You put it in — you're graveyard-bound
Caress the gun with hungry mouth
Then click! again your plans go south.
Fill final chamber, give a spin
This time death will surely win:
A stain of blood upon your bed —
You don't care — you're finally dead.
—2008
Graveyard Lust
Enter in the womb of Death
Lightly while you still have breath
Dig a grave deep in the dark
Climb into it for a lark
Followed by your bravest lover
Naked both the one does cover
Other lies back on graveyard dirt
Both of you with Death's lair girt
Lust within your ears does drum
Take each other till you come
Then out of grave again you climb:
Death will take you another time.
—2009
Tasty Steel
Your lover plays with deadly gun
Imagining it might be fun
He feels its hard unyielding steel
And wants to try it for a meal
Six bullets he does each now kiss
To put them where they cannot miss.
He lies down, waiting, on his back
You mount and settle towards his sack
The gun he gives into your hand
His mouth deathsteel does demand
You fill it with Death's cold steel barrel
And hold the trigger, increasing peril.
Around the gun his hot mouth clinches
His manhood grows now two whole inches
Your body gives its wildest riches
While your trigger finger itches
You come at last, but not the gun:
Another day you'll have MORE fun
—2009
For S. H. F.
Death has asked her for her hand
But she is still at Life's command
Still when Life starts with her release
And poisoned cures give no more peace
She will step for'ard without backwards glance
And twirl forever in Death's long dance.
—2009
Merlin and Nimüe
Can you believe that Merlin, by his art
Did not foretell the ending of the day
When 'pon his yearning loins and his heart
Twined the sensual beauty of Nimüe?
Darkest black night, no blessings from the moon;
Yet purest of ecstasy and magick
Bodies twisting, loving, they both did swoon
Did she really think he was hers to trick?
The cost to him was low: prisn'd in a tree
To Nimüe it was high: she deemed she'd die
She knew not of his allies who would free
Merlin to go once forth again to fly.
Never try to trick an immortal who
Always thinks ahead whene'er he would woo.
(Pronunciation note: "Nimüe" is pronounced "nim-WAY".)
—2010
Experimental Letter - SpiralHeart Summer Camp 2010
(Note: This letter was composed in the Feri arts path by myself and another camper who has given permission for posting but who wishes to remain anonymous. The letter was composed by a single word being added by each author, quickly, rather like some of the acts on the TV show "What's My Line", although this methodology predated that show.)
Hello Witches,
What are the rituals planned for Friday afternoon? Why are they happening? Why do you think they should happen? Dancing upstairs around the loft is possibly making people crazy. When I dance and stomp I loudly lick the floor slurping mites, dripping sweat through my pants. Why dance at all? Fuck is your dancing around a scar which makes messy.
Love,
GummiWorms
—2010
We are here and they are here
They are there and we are there
On Samhain there's no need to fear
To cross the veil to anywhere.
Love's forever, it needs not breath
To mingle on this night of bliss
In the arms of life or death
'Twixt worlds apart once more may kiss.
Sun rises, veil thickens; return to den
Brave souls still, 'mong the worlds may ken.
—2010
Bring our Soldiers Home
a poem for Armistice Day, 2010
Inspired in part by "Dulce et Decorum Est" ( http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19389 ),
by Lt. Wilfred Owen, MC, HM Armed Forces, KIA 4 November 1918
Can be sung to the melody of "Go Down, Moses" ( http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/9842/)
With U.S. in Afghanistan
Bring our soldiers home
Our government without a plan
Bring our soldiers home.
Refrain:
Go down, cit'zns,
Way down to Washington
Tell ol'
Barack O.
Bring our soldiers home.
The government stacks up the dead
Bring our soldiers home.
Our armies and the natives bled
Bring our soldiers home.
No more should they in battle toil,
Bring our soldiers home.
Let us just end this ghastly broil,
Bring our soldiers home.
It's up to us to push this through:
Bring our soldiers home.
To foreign wars we must adieu -
Bring our soldiers home.
Our nation's virtues have been lost
Bring our soldiers home.
Extorting such a bloody cost
Bring our soldiers home.
The government it cannot hide
Bring our soldiers home.
The brave, our fighters, who have died
Bring our soldiers home.
If everyone did see the gore
Bring our soldiers home.
Unending cries would shout "No more!"
Bring our soldiers home.
The Guard it bears a heavy loss
Bring our soldiers home.
Eventually they will exhaust
Bring our soldiers home.
We must declare this ardent call:
Bring our soldiers home;
Or hundreds, thousands, more will fall -
Bring our soldiers home.
On this we'll finally take a stand
Bring our soldiers home!
And let them come back to this land
Bring our soldiers home.
Our votes and voices hold the key
Bring our soldiers home.
Let them from fighting now be free,
Bring our soldiers home.
We need not always weep and mourn,
Bring our soldiers home.
This endless war cannot be borne
Bring our soldiers home.
—2010
One more ten percent
Two more letters; will they help
When the credits done?
—2011
—2011
At Samhain,
We remember the eternal blanks
In these our current lives.
Why do we do this?
Why relive the pain?
Because those who are remembered
Are those who still live;
And we know that if
We never let them become true blanks
Then we know they still live;
They're just more difficult to hold a coherent conversation with until the next life.
—2011
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Last updated: Saturday, February 1, 2014