he mad dog barked at
walls drawing down
he jaw chomped hard
at cage and at leash
with hatpin hands
and neck rust screech
a brokework heart
and tinsel teeth
dragging behind loathing
in razor wire, unsure
which self to throw
to mists from peak
Tag: poetry
brokework
casting runes — 07mar26
uruz iron pierced these & thistle,
in nettle & thunderhead
dredge of horn furrows
over open & naked hand
lost teardrops
lightning shatters skyA rune poem, based on an Elder Futhark rune selected at random.
Today’s rune is uruz. The rune is named after the now-extinct aurochs, a wild ox and has become associated with standing up to challenges, having both confidence and courage, stubborn tenacity, and boundless strength and health. Uruz is alternately associated with the more raw elements which include rain, primordial potential, and the slag/dross cast away during the making of iron.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
long hours
no one hears pain
grind teeth clutch ache
bone taste of dry leaf
of die want long hours
knives drive nine
slice tendon night
sleepless sleepless razor
of die want long hourscasting runes — 05mar25
dagaz i seek you in umbra
slipping 'twixt & 'tween
between bone & meat
there, in the hollows
where twin shadows meetA 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.
casting runes — 04mar26
hagalaz as stiff as storm &
as sharp as bone
a burr joins them all
i stand at hollow
arms outstretched
a wight without a stoneA 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.
scrawl
Photo by Alexander Krivitskiy on Unsplash here is me writing heartletters
with bare finger; my page, your skin
words flowing over rolling hills
and scrawling your valleys, too
all through gloaming to night
to taste shadows growing long
with each and every bite
every syllable song ringing
rhyme with euphoric fireflycasting runes — 02mar26
algiz come ride the snake
into the cave &
under the wood —
what historic futures
might we find?A rune poem, based on an Elder Futhark rune selected at random.
Today’s rune is algiz, which may mean either “elk” (there is some uncertainty if this is the case) or yew (Old Norse). It is associated with the Otherworld, protection/sanctuary, and with guardian spirits/fylgja. The unconscious mind is also sometimes associated with algiz.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
casting runes — 01mar26
uruz hungry for a springtime rut
the aurochs wanders
misty morning moorsA rune poem, based on an Elder Futhark rune selected at random.
Today’s rune is uruz. The rune is named after the now-extinct aurochs, a wild ox and has become associated with standing up to challenges, having both confidence and courage, stubborn tenacity, and boundless strength and health. Uruz is alternately associated with the more raw elements which include rain, primordial potential, and the slag/dross cast away during the making of iron.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
aglow
endless in waiting
in wishing moths to
send pale of moon
night gardens aglow
fey motes dancing
your head leaning shoulderscasting runes — 27feb26
tiwaz an old warrior wearies
of spear burdens
trudging up northern fells
antlers left under overhangs
call to rest a spellA poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is tiwaz, which is named after the Norse god Týr, and the second weekday (Tuesday) is named for the god. According to Norse myth, Týr offers his right hand to the wolf Fenrir, who bites it off when he realizes the gods have used the offering to distract the wolf while they bind him. The rune is typically considered symbolic of honor, loyalty and justice, as well as of sacrifice. It may be representative of discipline and faith. Some interpretations have associated the rune with the North Star.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
