Thursday, November 16, 2017

Dragonfly





She was  humble, shy, eyes downcast.
In our group of mostly white people,
she deferred, listened,
as we talked, talked, talked.
We had so much to say.

She was easy to overlook.
We were so full of ourselves.

Then they called her name.
She stepped to the middle of the room,
brown dress, moccasins,
feathers in her long black hair, 
in the middle of her life
of many losses.
Suddenly, arching herself, 
one arm up, one down,
like wings,
she wailed a powerful, keening cry
that rattled the rafters,
and circled, singing.
All eyes were on her. 
We were holding our breath
in the face of such pure power,
such unmistakable grief.

I saw her, suddenly,
as a dragonfly,
symbol of metamorphosis.
She was beauty, change, light,
a shape-shifter,
who rearranged 
the cells in my body
with her cry,
leaving me
transformed.


for Susie's prompt at Real Toads: Dragonfly


15 comments:

  1. Is this real? it sounds like something that you actually experienced.

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  2. The dragonfly symbolism is perfect for this experience!

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  3. Yes, it was real, Shay. An unbelievably powerful experience. I can still see her and hear that keening cry, when I remember it.

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  4. Oh Sherry, what an amazing experience! Thank you so much for sharing it and writing for the prompt!

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  5. My goodness this is such a captivating poem, Sherry!❤️ Thank you so much for sharing!❤️

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  6. What a fantastic real life account of the pain and loss of a member of a first nation's representative. I had goose bumps as I read this Sherry.

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  7. I'm taken aback at this jaw-dropping scene. beautiful

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  8. wow! loved reading this,the power of her dance.
    MNL (Cactus Haiku)

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  9. Sherry,

    What an amazing moment to be a part of. She has a story. I want to know her story. I can imagine her story but I want to know her story.

    What an amazing release it must have been to her. Overlooked to finally have that moment to let go of everything she had been holding.

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  10. Loved the last stanza....touching...!!

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  11. It is rare that we meet such personalities that change us from inner to outer and show us the true meaning of life, which may never know otherwise.

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  12. She was conscience, born to transform. OMG...What an experience!! May such souls inherit this Earth and poets to write about them.

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  13. Such vivid imagery in this scene. And you captured the symbolism of the dragonfly....(thumbs up!)

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  14. arrgh! blogger ate my comment again.

    Strangely, i was reading about a jungle tribe in Indonesia that was forced to convert to a mainstream religion from their shamanistic beliefs by the government (for their own good, they said) before visiting your site.

    perhaps it was the anguish from the centuries of persecution and exploitation that gave her such power. this is such a moving poem, Sherry.

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  15. Transformation that spreads, what a miracle of poetry. And I agree with Fireblossom, it reads real.

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