Getting Older Without Growing Up

16 October

If I were an owl, flying high,
what would I think, what would I think if I
saw me* dancing, dancing
high on a hill, alone in the dark,
under a star-filled sky?

If I were an owl hunting for mice, so crunchy, so sweet,
what would I think, what would I think if I
heard me singing, singing
high on a hill, alone in the dark,
under a star-bright sky?

'No moon! No moon!' I might cry, if I
were an owl, 'She can't be a witch
for there's no moon,
she's too many clothes,
she's got no broom,
and she can't fly!'

If I were an owl and I heard me sing, singing a song
in a tongue unknown, I would sing too,
and my wordless song would come echoing back
from the nearby hills to me dancing, dancing
there on the starlit track.

If I were an owl, soaring high, what would I see?
What I would see, if I saw me, is a fat old lady
in too many clothes (it's cold enough, tha certainly knows)
doing her thing, with a light-full heart,
under a star-filled sky.

* * *

*If you are confused about who
is the owl and who is 'me' I can
only say: it's OK, you're meant to be.

What A Blessing

really

I Give You Fair Warning...

really

I shall speak clearly to the cats, of course,
but to other people I shall speak
only in symbols, codes, and cryptograms,
and let them think
that they understand.

I shan't knit.

My garden will be wild and rich.
I shall plant tall stones
in suitable places, and I shall make potions
of flowers and light. I shall be
a healing presence
in the world.

With my knobby old knees
and sagging breats, I shall dance
naked under the full moon,
and I shall sing to th moon
with the cats.

I shall keep bees.

I shall carry a blackthorn stick,
and frighten small boys away
from my apples. They will like that.
And I'll tell tales of the goddess
to little girls so they will know
who they are.

I shall say outrageous true things
to people, and make waterfalls
and small pools
in wild places. My hands
will create beauty.

I shall have a deep, deep well
of silence
in myself, and it will fill
with the love flowing through me
like a wild underground river. My hair
will be very white and unmanageable -
rather like a dandelion. My roots
shall rest in Earth's heart
and the god will be
a personal friend of mine.

Your comments will be read with interest.
This will take you back to the Poems & Odd Beats.
This will take you back to Raven's nest.