She comes with her name
rooted in ghost or grief,
shadowed by versions
of myth and tongue.
But in these cold hours
of damp
plying storm
she comes grey-eyed
in a cloak
spun of sea and fog,
lined with the song
of coastal birds.
She makes footfall
on land once wild ,whispering
pine, thistle and
broom,
once bagpiped
in willow reeds and water,
once the roaming
of red highland deer.
She comes flame-hearted
with her bodice
laced in lightning;
her anger tied
to their taking of
the moor,
the lessening of scrub
and rocks scaled
in moss or lichen.
The ancient cairns
carted away
for lawn and leisure.
She comes weeping
for the loss
of the natural soul,
its miscarried light.
Old fires
no longer burn
on the hill,
flock and herd
graze elsewhere in the sun
and night calls on the moon
to silver bones
of those who passed
( and were left
exposed)
in the taming --
the turn-over
of time and soil.
________________________________
Note -- The Keener refers to a feminine spirit that weepsor mourns for the loss of someone or something. Often she is associated with a banshee,
the traditional weeping lady ( found in diverse cultures) and other characters who appear
The painting called "Turn Of The Tide" by artist, John Duncan.
No comments:
Post a Comment