literature

Ode to Saga and Atla

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Literature Text

2 March, 2006

Ode to Saga and Atla

Pick at my skin,
     peeling away in layers
        like the bark of a tree to reveal
   a feminine soul, lying naked
              along the grain of the wood:

Her eyes are old, a wise
       shade of green sparked
      with blue; she is an earth dragon
            born in a water sign
  with two fish and a poet's heart.
This woman bathes in the mud
                          with the frogs,
                 caked and cracking open in the arms
of the afternoon sun.
           Spider webs spread between slender fingers,
     a silk quilt, two lace gloves
         which catch falling stars
              on their way to that secret place
    just before thunder
       where darkness clings to mountain roots
when children first imagine.
      
        Under years of moss and mystery
this woman crouches
      in a hidden room beside my heart,
                 pacing like a tiger to the tides.
          Pulled free by the strings
                       of the moon, she dances
        barefoot,
                 the line between
        human
             and being
     crossed like timeless sand by ocean waves.
We were given a list of random phrases and had to include one in a poem.
I initially used only "lying naked along the grain of the wood", but ended up using "she bathes in the mud with the frogs" as well.

Saga is the Norse goddess of poetry, and Atla is the Norse goddess of water.
I love this one, so I hope you enjoy it as well!

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© 2006 - 2024 fae
Comments1
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niceboyjs's avatar
Fae! :hug: I love this it's absolutely enchanting, the only thing I noticed was "just before thunder" seemed out of place, kind of abrupt and rough between the line before it and following it.

Wonderfully written! +fav