even cities, oft disparaged
provide plenty nature
if only one would
get out of the car
and look
Tag: poetry
out of the car
hush
that she cries
her stone tears
this dark angel at
thresholds waiting
while the sun
burns away her
stonefield shadow
hush now, tired one,
stolen one,
hush now and sleepcasting runes — 06oct25
thurisaz lock the doors
lock loved ones inside
the wild hunt rides
the storms tonight
twice the banshee
wail rose up to the skies
who's death will
the trice betide?A poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is thurisaz, which has several core translations: “thorn” or “giant”. The rune is often associated with pain or discomfort (often for an important transitional or transformative reason) or raw power that may be destructive. It is also considered protective, regenerative, and is frequently associated with women’s menstrual health.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
of nimüe
of nimüe at the lake in gazing for
a reflection of her other selves
gazing in an unblemished return
for she wears these many faces
having become so many
she has lost her original view
so she waits and waits for fogs to burn
to see herself anewhalf-sick
everything return and
goes to loaming in under—
call rook or declare crow
truth is of water
unstirred by eddy
as by the reeds her
shallow barge flows
half-sick of shadows
she whispers, lips dry
as she rivers through
i, too, grow
half-sick of shadows
aching for the moonflow
she flows scarlet and scarred
through leaden falling snows
grace over fell, wending 'round trees
with black hair and crow—
a drifter gazing in thrallshadows
nothing to lose
nothing to prove
slipping along that
thin grey line
surrendering to
the lady of shadows--
let her bring
what she will bringdrops
slippers slap her feet
as she walks the snaking
curve of the street
she stops every few feet
when one or the
other drops
away
phone in hand, debating
if i should call to get her help
but too mesmerized by
the step, the slap, the drop, the pause
to dial the phone todayAside from the sense that the passenger through life was not quite in full charge of her actions, there was no real reason to dial for assistance for the woman. She was my age, give or take, a little bedraggled and was wearing a house robe, but otherwise seemed to only be suffering from footwear that was entirely inappropriate for her journey. I decided that my intervention was probably not welcome and I put my phone down.
scatterleaf
here, her season blows in
hair dancing, standing razors ledge
wings stretched in embrace air
scatterleaf and fallen umber
we ache for her voidkiss
to carry us breath for wind
while thunder hooves drive
hearts to poundtossing a rune — 02oct25
ansuz a turning away
with one eye blind
but some things
cannot be unseen
a heavy sigh
for the dead & dying—
a heartache but
for all the reapingA 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.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
