Here I am, suspended breathless
between language and myth.
Strands of undomesticated words
weave ladders to freedom, and

a dove in the stripy-barked birch
recites the works of Homer.
I found the rules of grammar
written on my tongue by the wind

and the alphabet strung like
seed-pearls around my willing neck.
Each day I take to the quarries,
hard mining for the sweetly lyrical,

blistered from digging in hot sands
and hard stone for parables.
The very walls that bound my heart
are fairly breached by the

gentle solace of poems spun
on a vision quest, on toiling
though the hill country of
my youthful and once indomitable

dreams: like dandelion fluff,
I blow them into history.
I write as though poetry is
the only real nourishment –
. . . . . .  .perhaps it is.

© 2016, poem, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved,  Photo ~ courtesy of morgueFile

WRITING PROMPT

Last month’s theme for The BeZine was: Rituals for Peace, Healing and Unity. Fittingly, Terri Stewart, our resident canoness, took the lead.

For some of us, our writing – whatever it may be – poetry, fiction, nonfiction, journaling – is our daily spiritual practice, a ritual of sorts, a way to heal and to connect with the best part of ourselves.

The inspiration for today’s writing prompt comes from my colleagues at the Zine:

Poet, essayist and vocalist, John Anstie, wrote “This poem represents the sentiment and spirit that is at the core of our mission here, Jamie, the Bardo/Beguine mission. ‘… as if poetry is the only real nourishment. Perhaps it is.’ Perhaps, at the same time, a call to the pen, rather than the sword, is also a source of nourishment that will yield, eventually, a harvest [of peace] for the world.”

Corina Ravenscraft, artist, poet, writer and activist, said “… poetry truly can be spiritual…”

Associate Pastor of Riverton United Methodist Church (Seattle, Washington), Rev. Terri Stewart, writer and founder of our sister site Beguine Again, wrote: “Digging for parables really echoes with what my experience is!”

How do you experience the practice of poetry or other art? Maybe you feel as our colleague – shamanic practitioner, psychotherapist, educator, and visual and theater artist – Michael Watson  does, that the “arts are the only real solace.”

In poem, story or creative nonfiction tell us about your personal creative rites and/or why you find consolation in them. Share your piece through Mister Linky … just click on the icon below and paste in the link to your piece so that I and other readers here might enjoy it.

Note: A link from one of my unrelated pieces might show up as the first post. It’s just left from another effort on a different site.  Tech challenged: I couldn’t remove it. Sigh! 😦