Our Lady of the Not So Barren Tree
artist Elizabeth Kay
Wild Woman I.
Looking back at the journey of becoming who I am,
through transformations wonderful and strange,
I grew bewitched by the beauty of the world.
Nature became my lover, and I was forever changed.
Looking in the smokey mirror I see
a strange lady looking back at me.
A wildish woman is growing older there.
Normal is not an option.
Check out her wild and frizzy hair!
She has lived her life determined to be free.
Control and oppression Wild Woman can't abide.
Every time they tried to tame her, she would flee.
Now when she speaks, she speaks a truth I cannot hide.
She doesnt act like anyone I ever knew.
Wild horses gallop often through her heart.
She is the one I have run from and run home to.
From now on we will never be apart.
She is free now - she can never again be tamed.
She will not grow old gracefully, and refuses to be blamed.
She plans to laugh and sing,
to hope and dream until the end.
This wild woman is becoming
my best friend.
She has brought me through the fire and the rain
and to the Circle of Sisterhood we turn.
We find the gain has been well worth the pain,
and turn to help our younger sisters learn.
Standing on the brink of an ancient way of knowing,
I can feel wild woman singing through my bones
and I know that I am standing in the doorway
of a special passage to the Age of Crones.
Wild Woman II.
Truth: A Wild Woman knows
what she knows.
It is time, Wild Woman, to bring forth all your gifts,
for the seasons now are quickening and swift.
Sing out your songs; sing loud and strong and clear.
Write all your poems, to say that you were here.
A Wild Woman creates her own way.
She runs with her inner wolves, and she has a lot to say.
She speaks with an authentic voice, avoiding angst or wrath.
She follows her intuition, along the unmarked path.
Truth:
A Wild Woman knows
what she knows,and she'll share
her wisdom well
before she goes.
She follows her heart - in trust,
honest and sweet and clear.
Her spirit has been forever
on the rise,
the long journey making her
compassionate and wise.
She no longer harbors life,
brings new visions forth instead
that she sees with eyes located
somewhere else besides her head.
She feverishly transcribes
dictated words.
Her songs she then gives freely to
all the singing birds.
Follow these pawprints into the forest,
Sister mine.
They will lead you to a home
Grandfather Cedar makes so fine.
An owl with piercing yellow eyes,
a cat with Cheshire grin,
will be on the doorstep watching,
waiting to let you in.
There is a conjuring old woman
living there,
her spirit fixed between the sky and earth.
She has lived apart from others
since her birth,
doesn't care at all
what other people think.
Listen well to every incantation,
for all of them are linked.
Wild Woman has fallen bewitched
by the beauty of the earth.
Before the fire,
she is singing over the bones
and, when she finishes her song,
she will arise
and welcome you
into the very Sisterhood of Crones.
(Ha ha. I typed Sisterhood of Crones into google, and it asked me: did you mean sisterhood of Crohn's? Maybe that, too. Cackle.)
At Real Toads, where we are always trying to Think Outside the Box, I have set the topic for this week's Sunday mini-challenge as: Release Your Inner Wild Woman. I never quite know what will come, when I begin a poem. But this is what came this time, in two batches, and I couldn't choose between them........Do join me in checking out the other responses to the challenge, as I expect there will be some interesting poems!
Sherry, it was an enjoyable journey descending down your lines! Now I realise I needed to be a woman to give justice to this theme... wonderful :)
ReplyDeleteand this is definitely too honest "A Wild Woman knows
what she knows,and she'll share
her wisdom well
before she goes"
Cheers....
Amen, sister!
ReplyDeletehi sherry,first things first ..i love it when you call us kiddos..second your poem took me to a nora roberts novel i enjoyed reading few years back..i could almost visualize the circle with the chantings..cheers to being a woman that too a wild one..
ReplyDeleteow-WOO! Thank you, Crone, with horses in the heart and pads on the feet! I feel someday we should meet and bring others too for just a glimpse and lots of laughter before we each return to the haven of our homes!
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely piece of self-affirmation, Sherry.
ReplyDeleteI love this line:
She doesnt act like anyone I ever knew.
It reassures me that wild women can even amaze themselves at times.
I like the welcoming to sisterhood, her unique voice is strong and bold in your words ~
ReplyDeleteThank you for the call of the wild ~
Oh, what a lovely journey with you, Sherry. I love the idea of a sisterhood of crones.
ReplyDeleteYou might have more than one Real Toad descending on your peaceful (except for the loggers) island one of these days.
Come to think of it, we could really give those loggers something to think about.
Love your poetry, my dear friend.
K
My goodness, Sherry...... You really did this prompt proud. You have grown into yourself in a beautiful way. I like the idea especially that now is the time to bring forth all your gifts as the seasons move fast (or something like that). So very true. If not now, when? Your post makes me want to howl.
ReplyDeleteI too love that you are amazing yourself, as the song plays to the moon! This is beautiful and I love the wonder in all your verses. I hope someday to be as wild, as YOU!
ReplyDelete<3 this challenge and your poem :D
Sherry,
ReplyDeleteThis is such a perfect prompt from you! I have to give it a think or two. I love the wolf steps between your poems, and the poems themselves are so powerful.
Sherry ... forever the wild woman! Every woman's inspiration!
ReplyDeleteInstead of keeping the wild woman tucked away, it is good to let her breathe, let her see and let her play! I am learning that very slowly and it's a great voyage of discovery!
ReplyDeleteTerrific affirmation of the female power within!
I grew bewitched by the beauty of the world.
ReplyDeleteI am so with you my dearest Sherry. May we fill our purpose in life in the only way we can.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this amazing piece a journey of discovery. So many great lines within the body..nicely woven..
You are such an inspiration and encouragement to me, Sherry. From my first reading of your work, I knew you were something special... a spirit guide, really. This post verifies that feeling. I would love a book of all your wild woman writings. I think many would. Your wisdom is intended to be disseminated!
ReplyDeleteI really love your opening--Nature became my lover and I was forever changed---a wonderful set of poems, and a wonderful challenge, Sherry. May you always run wild, even when 'real' legs are no longer up for it, like me. ;_)
ReplyDeleteMay we all embrace our wildness. Superb!
ReplyDeleteThese are all great - the first is my favorite! How great to find your inner wild woman and let her go!
ReplyDeleteThey're amazing, I especially love the last one
ReplyDeleteI love this all the way through!
ReplyDeleteSherry, you were the first woman blogger I mentioned in my post about the Wild Women in my poetic life. This is prime from start to finish, and I am proud to be a Crone. Once thought a negative term, to me, it sounds like "Chrome" - strong, steely, beautiful, silvery. All these things plus the ineffable wisdom that comes with age. I loved this. Amy
ReplyDeletethank you, Sherry. this is kinda like an underlining of what you do and say... like the Cliff's Notes version of everything else. i like it. especially relatable: running from and to. bravo!
ReplyDeleteSherry!! What a wonderful challenge and response form you...outstanding!!
ReplyDeleteI just love all of the symbolism and singing and this:
"Wild horses gallop often through her heart.
She is the one I have run from and run home to."
This really stands out to me as I feel that I spend a great deal of time doing the very same.
The transitions within your work are so subtle...each section of this work holds a distinct beauty.
Thank you so much! ♥
Sherry both of these are so wonderful. I love the honesty in this. It comes through as intuitive wisdom, which you have clearly cultivated well. I like the idea of not growing old gracefully, and I am so ready to join the Sisterhood of the Crones.
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing journey, beautifully told. These words of yours:
ReplyDelete"She is free now - she can never again be tamed.
She will not grow old gracefully, and refuses to be blamed."
Sherry I've read Women Who Run With the Wolves and you have got the spirit of it here distilled down in your verse beautifully. It must be because you live it. Magnificent!
ReplyDelete