Hermes! Hermes! Hermes! Listen, the people call to you!

O, great Hermes Psychopompos, conveyor of souls,
Many lost ones will show up on the threshold tonight.
Guide them gently to the shore of the River Styx and beyond.
I offer this bag of coins for their passage.

O, great Hermes Enodios, he who travels over the lands
Many souls are wandering, unsure of the road they travel.
Watch over their journey as they cross the last boundaries.
I offer this grain for their last pilgrimage.

O, scheming Hermes Dolios, charming trickster of the night,
The souls in your care found death in violence unsuspecting.
Help them escape from the pain of their last moments.
I offer this honey to sweeten their memories.

O, divine Hermes Diaktoros, translator between gods and men,
Heavy are the hearts that mourn today’s loss.
Whisper sweet words to cleanse their wounded hearts.
I offer this wine to ease their pain.

Hermes! Hermes! Hermes! Listen, this person calls to you!
I pour out the wine in your honor.
I pour out the oil in your honor.
I pour out the milk and honey in your honor.
Hermes! Hermes! Hermes!
Do not let the lost souls wander forever in the wild darkness.
Take them safely to rest in the Realms of the Dead.


Written April 16, 2007

Lugh dies
and the sun strikes
with rays of heat
that oppress in revenge,
with spears of light
that burn our eyes and skin.

First fruits
Red blood

August comes
and the earth gasps
in the death throes of summer,
a fever pitched battle
against the coming dark.

Barlycorn
Eat and run.

Written in August 2006

Penetrate me, Kali
Move through my every pore
Consume me in thy fire
Until I am no more.

Melt down my skins of iron
That shield me from my wounds
Break my bones of falsehoods
That would support me to my ruin.

Break my chains of reason
That tie me to my pain
Kick out the excuses from under me
That I lean on for a cane.

Leave me empty, Kali
A vessel to be filled
Leave me broken and battered
A body to be healed

Then come again, Kali
Move through my every pore
Mold me in thy likeness
Fuse strength into my core

Teach me ways of healing
My people’s broken souls
Teach me ways of freedom
Courage to walk through man’s hot coals.

Destroying for creating
Transforming old to new
Kali Ma, Dark Mother
I live my life for you.

Written July 1989, when I was 18. What was I thinking?

I carry in my mind a picture postcard of the day you left,
Sepia-toned, faded, and worn around the edges,
Where my eternally seven-year-old chubby fingers stroke,
In devotion–
A pilgrim to an ancient shrine where,
Saints cry blood and the wicked
Are forgetful–missing and ever present.
Truth, lie, or heretical imagining,
This is my story,
This is my psalm to you–
Dead and gone from the world;
Living and ever leaving from my heart.

Written December 2009

A growing tumor in her brain
breaks down the walls
between life and death
between form and force
between here and gone
As she falls down the well
into the unknown

Sentences stumbled over
and left unfinished
leaving her without speech
leaving her without context
leaving her without a name
As she walks through the gates
into the unknown

Her body must be broken
before she can leave us behind
to rip our clothes in grief
to scream in rage and terror
to hold each other in love
As she climbs the tree
into the unknown

…into the arms of her lost beloved

Written 2009

Last night I was in a fury.
I woke up at 2:17am
And could not go back to sleep.
I was still angry
From earlier in the evening
When my take-out meal
Which was supposed to save me time
Made me late
For a meeting
I didn’t really want to go to
In the first place.

Fuming in the darkness
Because my husband’s hand
Was touching mine
Seeking contact,
Because his shoulder
Was crowding mine
Seeking space,
Because the dog
Was snuggled between my legs
Seeking warmth,
And the kitten
Lay on my chest
Seeking comfort.

Just get the fuck off of me!
Just everybody STOP
TOUCHING ME!
Stop needing things from me!

This morning I was in a rage.
I had not slept well.
I had an ice pick
Lodged in my skull
And a vice
Clamped on my shoulder.
Oh, and it was raining.

At the front door to my office
Stood a wet young man
Looking up at the sky
In sorrow.
I guess that my notice of him
Invited a response.
“I’ve been inside all week
In a conference
Looking out at the sun,
And the one day I have to
Explore the city
It rains,” he said
With a foreign accent
And one of those grimaces
That says I-am-not-all-that-upset.
“Do you have an umbrella?”
I asked.
He shook his head
And so I handed him mine.
“Really? Thank you!” he said
In wonderment and joy.

As I walked through the door
And past the security guard,
I felt tears on my face
Of release and relief.
Now, I’m just tired
but feel a little freer.

Written March 10, 2011

What is magic?
The young child asks.

Imagine,
if you will,
a scintillating light
wandering through all time and space,
linking my heart
to you heart,
to the heart of our cat,
to the heart of the pine tree,
to the heart of a virus,
to the heart of the homeless man
across the street,
to the heart of the earth,
to the heart of the sun,
to the heart of the universe,
connecting all of us into a great family
with no beginning and no end.

Do you see it?

The child scans the park
with eyes gone wild.
Yes!

That, my friend, is magic.

Written May 15, 2011

O holy Brighid of the Eternal Flame
You who inspire the hearts and minds of the poets, warriors, and healers,
You of the flaming hair and starry cloak,
We honor you and give you thanks.

You breathe the words that evoke beauty, honorable deeds, and commitment.

Your spirit incites us to do great things beyond what we think we are capable of.

You lay your hands upon us and heal our hearts, bodies, minds, and spirits.

O holy Brighid of the Burning Forge,
Temper us in the heat and pressure of life,
That we may be strong and steady.

O holy Brighid of the Sacred Well,
Quench the thirst of our bodies and souls,
That we may be compassionate and true.

O holy Brighid, today we call to you
Inspire us.
Temper us.
Strengthen us.
Heal us.
Work through our hands and speak through our mouths,
That we may make this world a better place,
That we may live in freedom and fullness.

Blessed be.

Written November 15, 2011