Saturday Spellcraft
Whispered secrets
and scented smoke
as herbs make quiet
crunching sounds
in harmony
with the scrape
of pestle
within stone bowl
while energy rises
and swirls around
gathering strength
with every sound
of chiming bell
as it grows and grows
and then is released
as intentions flow
Husks of Winter
Dry whispers
swirl in the air
as spring’s first breath
brushes over
the husks of flora
dormant
and looking dead
but just at rest
and waiting
to awaken
and be renewed
until once more
lush and green
Awaiting the Spring
Winter takes a heavy toll
upon nature’s green
turning so much to gray
as dried grasses
and dormant trees
await the warmth
of spring’s sweet breeze
only the evergreens
stand tall and bright
but they are also
in on the fight
with sparse branches
ready to sprout
as soon as the seasons
turn about
Unconditional Love
Here I sit at a table
of worn wood
with cards in my hands
and a whisper at my ear
as the cards
and sensations
mesh into more
to tell of secrets
as I delve into mysteries
with the knowledge
that I am loved
a certainty never known
before him
Prompt: “Draw (at least) three random cards. Use these cards to tell the story (real or fictional) of one of spring’s first flowers and its experiences.”
Buried deep within frozen soil
darkness pressing in
on all sides
I wait
until the thaw begins
to relax the earth
and my cage becomes a womb
and as I am nurtured
in that mothering embrace
I break free of my shell
and begin to stretch
and stretch
a calling from within pulling me
from furled tender stem
to towering stem
where the sun bathes my petals
and I watch over those below
still waiting
to grow
Dear Sister, My Twin
You look like he
you dress like she
yet in the mirror
you smile like me
our faces
an echo of another
yours more delicate
mine more angular
and yet
still somehow
the same
even all these years
after strollers
and matching outfits
have long gone
Twisting the Leaf 