The lassos fly in the air to catch you and pull you back into the pit. “Dance for me,” the captors say, stealing your clothes to replace them with a tunic and leather pads. No sword and shield to arm you. Just straps of sandals on skin tanning in the unyielding sun. Dance for the … Continue reading Song of the Gladiator
There is a shadow of melancholy overlaid upon me like a second skin. I don’t know how to shed it. I could be happy as a Panda in a bamboo forest, or joyful as a Golden Retriever playing fetch with a companion, but always the tinge is there. A constant storm brewing in the cauldron … Continue reading Phantom Companion
Impending Apocalypse. The fear bleeds in like a raging river preceding the wave. A flicker in the corner of my eye. Is it the walls about to crumble on top of us, burry us alive before the tsunami hits? Is it the floors believing they are really the sea, willing to relinquish their shape for … Continue reading The End of Time
A hot whip lashes my chest like a demon’s attempt to break my ethereal heart. The gates are closed, but the mark is left on the pearl and I can’t get it off. Perfection is a lie we tell ourselves in order to aspire, because that’s what we’re taught: always reach, always strive. But life … Continue reading Brave Morphling
There is so much contained in an exhale. Whispers and secrets, and wishes on the wind searching for the spokes of a dandelion to ride. Wisps of truth born to traverse the sky, to find a place to land and take root in soil or the sea, or in panoramic eyes and hearts. Songs form … Continue reading Breath of Life
Running from wounded shadows into someone’s arms for safety doesn’t work when no one knows how to hold you. Strong arms are really soft lead that weares away with pressure and makes a mark. You want to write your law on my heart, but Spirit has already done that with the Law of Love. I’m … Continue reading Beacon Heart
The primordial thirst. Where is my fountain? Where is my wellspring? The yearning for love to find all the dark places in hiding, and let the light in. To be held shaking and crying. To be naked and small in your arms. To be a tiny broken thing.Why the yearning to be touched there if … Continue reading Sweet Temperance
You are an entire universe And so is your vision. You live in the expanse Of the cosmos and more, The place from which All was born. The demands others make Are like imposed funnels For tunnels you cannot Begin to fit through. Sometimes you try And it hurts Like the foot binding Of a … Continue reading Cosmic Sailor
Vultures pick the wounds clean. Clarity comes through whispering trees. I am still, and listening. Copyright © 2018, Sheyorah Aossi Art: Stillness by Joyce Huntington.
Poet's Notes:
This was written in response to a journal prompt by Pixie Lighthorse from her book, "Prayers of Honoring Grief." The question was: How can I honor what I've been through?
