not chasing butterflies i
not watching foxfire tonight
wisps, they drift the willow
and there i turn my eye
she wraps her pale in shadow
she wraps my heart in wire
tug with bone scarred ivory
wrapping shades through my eye
bit lip to raw and scarlet
bit neck to pierce the sighs
inking skin with stars and night
sending ink to black my eye
Category: writing
my eye
casting runes — 12nov25
eihwaz my spirit is shadow
flowing slow of evenfall river
where murky banks slip by
& all eyes turn away
while scarlet leaves
spin the eddies in-betweenA rune poem, based on an Elder Futhark rune selected at random.
Today’s rune is eihwaz, it’s name meaning “yew”, is a rune of change and transformation. It represents the cycle of life/death/rebirth and is symbolic of the axis mundi (the world tree). The yew is envisioned as a path towards both the underworld and the heavenly realms. It is associated both with poison and protection as part of its perceived dual nature.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
dabbles — folk horror
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash I was invited by Ted (shredbobted) to join his Discord group to workshop some short fiction for cross-promotion amongst the participants. I’m only now getting some free time and energy to explore some ideas; it’s been a busy time for me, or I have been worn out.
A few weeks ago, I cranked out an exploration into an old theme that I wanted to revisit, called “Drifter”. The idea was that there are a group of folks traveling in the “in-between” spaces and using dolmen as doors to try and find their homes back in realspace. After a week, I looked at the first thousand or so words I had written and realized that I’d left the tale completely without an anchor. To remedy that, I would probably have to at least write it as a novella, and more likely as a full novel — neither of which am I prepared to do at this time.
A few days ago, I started working on a different idea, with the explicit intention that it would have a solid anchor prior to getting weird. And the weirdness was going to be quite a bit more grounded in nature. I’m a little more satisfied with this effort after drumming up around 2500 words because it doesn’t feel quite so airy and disingenuous (in places).
(more…)on the ridge
this, i foxfoot mine
under the flint
waiting on rime
this, old ways skein
tangled up on me
here, mosshaired stone
under the rain
waiting on time
here, poppet a pocket
tangled up on linecasting runes — 11nov25
hagalaz this crashing down
to shatter against rock
to freeze all ties
...to break
some storms
go that way;
not all can bring
forth gentle rainA rune poem, based on an Elder Futhark rune selected at random.
Today’s rune is hagalaz, which has a core meaning of “hail”, which was associated with potential, transformation, renewal and change; hail is imagined a seed from which change will arise. Hagalaz is also seen as representative of things beyond our control: a clash between fire and ice.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
bondage
seeking the heartwood,
i throw off the burden
of toxic positivity and
viral negativity
i cut all flesh to bone
this is not a love song.
gaining the blind
securing the deaf
embracing the empty
i scratch
my rune bones black
all else is bondagehungers the wind
i have drawn lines
along the trees
dreaming worlds within,
time to set aside fevers--
we swing heartache
for her hills hollow
but now there is
naught left but
for the dying
willow willow
hungers the winter windscasting runes — 09nov25
fehu i plant my ash
on the windswept—
lichen, mycelium, moss,
the rolling hummocks
littered in stone
overcast, the skies
weigh down
what riches i have
to shareA poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is fehu, which has a core meaning of “cattle” or a more generalized “livestock”, which was a representation of personal wealth or earned prosperity. Sometimes luck played a role. Wealth and prosperity was valued, but was looked down upon when material accumulation appeared to be excessive, greedy, miserly or turned to hoarding, especially when those around you were lacking.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
bone dreaming
bone dreaming
we rattle under ash
crisp as leaves
kissed of rime
bone dreaming
we slip that streaming
to rest at sieidi
longing of the everlasttossing a rune — 07nov25
ansuz burned onto
my heartwood black
hung over meltwaters
the old gals sing spears
to the blindA poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is ansuz, which has a core meaning “a god” (intended to be Odin), “mouth” or “breath”. Odin is representative of many, many things… in this case, ansuz is most representative of the mouth/breath (speech) that gives life to poetry, magic, song, language, and spirit — largely inseparable in the Viking worldview — and Odin is considered the supreme master of these intertwined concepts. By way of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc, the rune is named æsc, which is translated to “ash”, a tree associated with Odin and is representative of resilience and strength.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
