Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Owl, Wisdom-Keeper

back yard Port Alberni owl

Sister Owl, Wisdom-Keeper,
sitting in the forest green,
bird-between-two-worlds,
all that we know
and the unseen,
within your cellular memory
live legendary flights
above the nether-world,
bubbling gases,
mist-swirled,
beneath the starry night.

Broad-winged,
you swoop across
canyons now turned
to river-beds,
glide atop the valley floor,
once volcano,
long before.

In your mystic gaze
dwell myth and magic,
legend, mystery,
stories of another time
when Owl and Man were free,
an ancient century ago,
now, in reprise :
those memories are still living
somewhere behind your eyes.

Sister Owl,
Friend of the Moon,
you've come too soon;
harbinger of change,
of mysteries beautiful
and strange,
under your folded wing
you hold the key.
Carve the message
you would tell 
into the bark of 
this old tree,
unlock the ancient manuscript
borne upon your beak
to tell me all
that you would have 
me seek.

Then, Oracle, lead me
into the forest's midnight dark,
I'll carry with me your message,
imprinted on the bark.
Open for me
the double-sided gate,
lead me
where shimmering shape-shifters
and silent, padding wolves
in peace 
await.

Tell me, Owl,
what it is that I must do
to be proved worthy,
if it's not too late
to thus fulfill
my fate.


Well, kids, this one took several attempts. Normally owls send me off into flights of rapture. But I am still light-headed and dizzy, (and not in a good way), so it has been hard to get done all that needs to be done. Sigh. But! Tomorrow is another day!

This is posted for Kim's prompt at Verse First: Owls  Do check out the other owlish links - they are a HOO-t (sorry, cant help it!)

p.s. this prompt reminds me of Nikki Scully's quote: "Owls are the doorway into the unknown." I have written of them before, but wanted to post something new for this challenge. 



23 comments:

  1. "I'll carry with me your message,
    imprinted on the bark."

    I love owls anhd I love this poem, Sherry. Excellent!

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  2. Love your use of bark and beak so that history and "cellular" knowledge become oracle. Neat, humble, exciting, expectant. Wonderful.

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  3. If only the wise old owl could speak!
    Hope you are feeling better!

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  4. Almost an anthem to the majestic owl, it just sings out praise.

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  5. I love the way you have addressed the owl as if she was a wise and knowing friend. A deep poem, Sherry.

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  6. A beautiful and reflective poem, Sherry! I like how you make us see so many facets of the owl.

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  7. "In your mystic gaze
    dwell myth and magic,
    legend, mystery,
    stories of another time
    when Owl and Man were free,
    an ancient century ago,"

    Nicely presented..like the way you've portrayed the owl ...

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  8. You write beautifully.

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  9. A great way to address the owl.. fantastic.

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  10. nice...i like...i hope the wise owl reminds you in the end that you dont have to prove your worth...smiles....i like the magic and myth you build around the owl in this...

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  11. Owls the majestic feathered night bird...they have almost a mystic air about them... nice poem...

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  12. i love this beautiful and enchanting world of the owl, the bird between two worlds.....

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  13. Beautifully done, Sherry. From ancient times, people have used the owl as a symbol of wisdom. The very serious look on their faces might have given people the idea. I love their large, bright, round eyes that curiously keep moving in the sockets...
    Enjoyed reading... !!

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  14. raptor rapture leads to poet capture :)

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  15. I love this one Sherry! So much wonder and exploration of what makes them mystical is aligned in your poem~

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  16. Beautifully described about the owl...

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  17. Lovely piece Sherry. So much said in this - a layered piece speaking of wisdom and reflections of some soul searching.

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  18. It's brilliant, particularly if you are not feeling your best.

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  19. Wonderful, mystical poem.

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  20. This was a wonderful write, light headed or not, I could not reach Owl today, I am not sure why, perhaps Owl stays elusive to me?

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  21. It would be nice to know what we are supposed to do. We feel that we know it, but it is hard based on that to have the conviction to act. This is a lovely poem, I think--and I'm wondering --is that your photograph? Pretty amazing. (This is Karin of Manicddaily.) K.

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