seething a steel spike
to shatter ice, to
strike sparks to stone
sever sinew & send
a tattoo to bone
pierce mine eyes
so the seeing can begin
shh tell no one this lullaby it is our secret to own welcome to this razor wire
Category: poetry
to shatter ice
casting runes — 05dec25
othala emerging ash smudged &
marked as nowhere
from the beginning—
back to the barrow
on a dark wood trail
lined of poppets & treatsA poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is othala, which has a core meaning of “heritage”, “inheritance” and “legacy”. These are all associated with home, kin, ancestors, stability and (in some interpretations) past lives or spiritual legacy.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
waiting drawn
cord bound in lace and
burning wheels
to find my way back
to ringwood fires and
turquoise nights that
i can never wipe
from my mind's eye...
ragged lips become
a stolen kiss, there
upon empty mounds
long has waiting drawn
for her there stillafter the flesh
it is unkindness
painted a dark blade
they deliver blindside
a haunted wondering
of what was left
unsaid in the
somespace beside
as black warmth
clings cooling
after the fleshcasting runes — 04dec25
fehu i traded too much away
for comfort's sake—
i would give back
most of my gold
in exchange for
a simple block of woodA 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.
red red wine
Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk on Unsplash on the drift
i close my eyes
beckon & recall
raw chapped lips
stained red red wine
yours, mine, both—
who could tell?
in thrall;
that was the day
of my dyingcasting runes — 03dec25
gebo for what seems a forever
i have made myself a gift,
ready to trade this chilled cheek
for a summer's kiss from youA rune poem, based on an Elder Futhark rune selected at random.
Today’s rune is gebo, which has a core meaning of “gift”. This relates to all forms of reciprocity: transaction, generosity, hospitality and sacrifice (in the sense of giving up something). It may also mean offering up a talent or skill, and may suggest a synergistic, possibly romantic, relationship.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
another tangle
Photo by Ville Palmu on Unsplash another tangle of winter
at slick crags open water
i shed these bones for you
chisel shadow, wax & stain
heartbeat heavy slow
ancestors flow on whisper
gather flame of heartwood
collect forgotten songs
here raises laughter
here we belongcatscratch
with skin kissed in rope burns
and pricked of thorns
sheets stained of summer and
whispers screamed at forlorn
all barbed with catscratch
do you desire anything more?casting runes — 02dec25
dagaz drawn to earth
more than that just under
ragged-hewn fingernails
scratching at blood soil—
toss aside your frame-drum
and follow me downA rune poem, based on an Elder Futhark rune selected at random.
Today’s rune is dagaz, which has been translated as “daybreak”, that transitional moment between night and day. By extension, it might also be interpreted as “twilight” and is representative of liminality, transformation, the space between worlds, and suggests walking in both the material world and otherworld.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
