You
walked out of ancient mists
Bringing
light to my hearth,
Blessing
with fire,
Restoring
the life with the flame.
Clothed
in your grace,
I
follow your footsteps
To
the place where
Mysteries
merge
And
the shapes behind myth
Are
revealed as truth.
Your
presence soothes
And
sharpens memory,
You
are my maker of song,
The
radiant flame of gold
That
illuminates the land
Beyond
the ninth wave,
That
forges a sword of light
To
penetrate, to heal.
Kneeling
at your well
I
drink of your mystery,
The
waters of the sun
Flood
my skull
With
sacred fire,
Flowing
with light,
My
spirit sings of the deep.
~~~~~~~~~ © Hilaire Wood 2000 ~~~~~~~~~
The Belly of Death
Branches bare as I am bare,
Stripped of leaves which fall
As summer falls,
As warmth falls,
As joy falls.
And through the trees the crone appears
With ragged robe on bony ribs
And grey of winter in her hair,
To fear, to be afraid - yet
There’s all of summer in her arms.
For leaves fall, the sap falls, the sun fades,
All the richness, goodness rotting down,
The hope, the plans, the love, the dreams...
But look! We are giving our dreams to the earth
And like a mother she will give them life,
And keep them warm 'til spring
When the sun brings his quickening
And they will sprout and flourish,
Renewed by their sleep in the belly of death.
~~~~~~~© Hilaire Wood 1993~~~~~~~
Peace in Ireland
I call forth the land of Ireland -
But not the land of the hero with lance, barbed,
Barbed the wire of her divisions, deep,
Deep the grief of her women, wailing,
Wailing the wind over desolate waste.
I call forth the land of Ireland -
But not the land of the hunger, bitter,
Bitter the hearts of her children, exiled,
Exiled the hopes of their fathers, frail,
Frail the flame in the hearth of the family.
I call forth renewed the land of Ireland!
Land of pastures, green, sustaining,
Sustaining the growth of her people, gifted,
Gifted the gathering of tribes, peaceful,
Peaceful the sons and daughters of Ériu!
I call forth the land of Ireland!
“ Peace up to heaven, heaven down to earth,
Earth beneath heaven, strength in each one!”
~~~~~~~ © Hilaire Wood
1998 ~~~~~~~
