angel300-c12182011she’s present
returned to bite through the umbilical of tradition,
to flick her tongue
and cut loose the animus-god of our parents,
like a panther she roams the earth, she is eve wild in the night,
freeing minds from hard shells
and hearts from the confines of their cages,
she’s entwined in the woodlands of our psyches
and offers her silken locks to the sacred forests of our souls ~
naked but for her righteousness,
she stands in primal light,
in the untrammeled river of dreams
the yin to balance yang
the cup of peace to uncross the swords of war ~
through the eons she’s been waiting for her time
her quiet numinosity hiding in the phenomenal world,
in the cyclical renewal of mother earth,
whispering to us in the silver intuition of grandmother moon
watching us as the loving vigilance of a warming sun ~
she, omen of peace birthed out of the dark,
even as tradition tries to block her return,
her power leaps from the cleavage of time

Illustration ~ this lovely watercolor painting by Gretchen Del Rio with its girl-tree, panther and other spirit animals was the perfect inspiration for a poem on the spiritual return of the divine feminine. The real back-story on the painting is just as interesting. Gretchen says, “I painted this for a 14 year old Navaho girl. It is for her protection and her power. She sees auras and is very disturbed by this. She is just amazing. Beauty beyond any words. You can see into the soul of the universe when you look at her eyes. She has no idea. I loved her the moment I saw her. My blessings for her well being are woven into the art.” Such a delightful piece. I purposely posted it full-size so that everyone can enjoy the detail. Bravo, Gretchen, and thank you.

©2016, poem, Jamie Dedes (The Poet by Day), All rights reserved; illustration, Gretchen Del Rio, All rights reserved.

WEDNESDAY WRITING PROMPT 

Write a poem, a fiction or a creative nonfiction piece telling us how you envision a feminine God or about the feminine side of God.  What might S/he be like?  Does/would such a view change the way you feel about yourself and the world? Would it change the world? How? You don’t need to believe in God or in a feminine aspect of God. This is an exercise in imagination not faith. Have fun with the exercise and if you feel comfortable, share the piece or the link to the piece below so that we might all enjoy.

2015, Kevin Young at Library of Congress National Book Festival September 5, 2015 Washington, DC, by fourandsixty, CC BY SA 2.0
2015, Kevin Young at Library of Congress National Book Festival September 5, 2015 Washington, DC, by fourandsixty, CC BY SA 2.0

The recommended read for this week is The Art of Losing by Kevin Young.  I find this to be an extraordinarily beautiful anthology about grief and recommend it for all those who work with living and dying, clergy of all faiths, hospice workers, physicians and nurses as well as those grieving a lost family member or friend. It was conceived and edited by Kevin Young, a poet in his own right and the editor of four poetry anthologies. His book Jelly Roll: A Blues was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. It won the Paterson Poetry Prize.

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16 Comments

  1. I love your poetry – very intricate.

    I hope you have some time to read mine, too – different as it is (chapters “Nothing Much”, “In The Forest” and “Who I Am?”)

    Would you consider recommending my blog/book to your readers? They would have a chance to read a book in the creative process (of a woman rediscovering herself).

    Strength and joy there! XX

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  2. i come here late….

    .. wednesday prompt..
    Posted on February 15, 2017

    so she has suggested that this god may be a girl, and / or somewhat feminine.

    last week I said that gender is over rated and that I do not believe such things.

    we talked of the random nature of everything, and while in agreement there

    are still issues between us.

    I shall say that if there is a god, who is gender based, may she be kinder than

    if there is one now, is.

    and learn better grammar than me, and forget the punctuation.

    sbm.

    2

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  4. Not-so-prompt Prompt response:

    birther

    o god
    thou residest betwixt r and t

    god s be thy name
    birther of us all
    mixmistress of galaxies
    crecher of clusters
    ovulatrix of ylem

    thy mother’s care is in the dew
    thy admonishment is in the don’t
    and when we want to play in the woods of reckless fun
    thou respondest “we’ll see”
    which almost always means “fat chance”

    thy human smartalecks speak of heat death
    it is merely a pause
    in thy menopause
    and soon thou’lt bake us cosmic cookies again

    thanks for Ever
    y
    Thing,
    maman

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  7. Hi Jamie,
    Here is my response to this Wednesday’s prompt:

    To Biddy

    Scatter radiances of milk
    on her icy sod.
    Let each brightness warm her earth.

    Broadcast flames of oats
    on her waters, stoke embers of fish.
    Let her waves be ablaze with shoals.

    Brush and scrub your home for her visit.
    Put her bread and butter on windowsills.
    Make her a bed of twigs for her rest.

    Waxing light polishes
    her crone wrinkles
    into maiden’s roundness.

    Make her a doll
    out of primroses
    and snowdrops.

    Paul Brookes

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Thank you!