1.

Ama woke. She walked, carrying her bucket to the watering pond.

Ama dipped the bucket, and a water’s kiss rippled rings on the surface.

The held bucket filled slowly.

Ama settled into the soft moistened peat under foot.

In the cool of day she connected with bird and dragon fly,

breathing in nourishment from old rooted trees.

Ama’s small village had been conquered by a neighboring tribe, and the new leader was boastful and puffed with pride

The peoples hearts were angry.

The leaders bony oiled fingers touched everyone, there was nowhere to hide.

After awhile she rose and knew what she must do.

2.

Ama calmly dressed in a fine frock and,

        and placed potent symbols in her powered her hair,

        and crossed to the village square

where the new leader’s inauguration was to take place.

A white dove flew beside her and landed in her hands.

She entered with the bird,

carried in crossed arms,

And walked bravely to the village center.

Too many of those she loved

had cultivated their war-ing parts;

Continued struggle would maim and weaken everyone’s hearts.

The dove carried as a gift was anointed for the other side,

for these two villages though far apart, bathed in the same river.

The air now frantic and frenzied.

Spawned a righteous cloud.

Ama prayed for healing as she walked towards the circle

with grounded pride.

3.

The crowds hushed as the older women

entered the ceremonial grounds

All watched as the new leader and the medicine women stood silently together,

each taking the other in.

Both thought,

“Soon the games will begin.”

Ama handed over the bird as blood.

And before the avian in the others hand did land,

The bird shot sky ward up!

And darted and disappeared from high

and came shooting down

from the darkened sky.

The encircled crowd gathered,

tightly bound all gasped!

For instead of dove, in it’s place a hawk now flew

And from it’s beaked lips a piercing worded cry as omen spewed:

“Embrace your darkest night

Gain insight

And know your actions from within!

Be compassionate with one another,

In shared waters live pieces of your skin.

Carrying sword and spear with warring intentions clear

is an old illness, a virus contracted centuries

ago and still remains in tact ergo.

Stories of security as defensive action

Will keep all stuck in malaise and traction.

Be warriors of spirit

all will clear.

Take time to

cultivate what is dear.

Hear the others heart.

Listen to the others heart.

(The bird cried twice.)

This is how to change ill wind.”

And then the hawk disappeared.

I wish I could tell you everything changed in the village that day.

I wish I could tell you everything shifted.

I can tell you

the birds words were clear.

Face Book Version

#4 A Medicine women’s story.

1.

Ama rose and walked, carrying her bucket to the watering pond.

When Ama dipped the bucket,

a water’s kiss rippled rings through the surface.

The held bucket filled slowly.

Ama settled her self into the soft moistened peat under foot.

In the cool of day she connected with bird and dragon fly,

and breathed in nourishment from old rooted trees.

Ama’s small village had been conquered by a neighboring tribe, and the new leader was boastful and puffed with pride

The peoples hearts were angry.

Well oiled bony fingers touched everyone, there was nowhere to hide.

After awhile she rose and knew what she must do.

2.

Ama calmly dressed in a fine frock,

and placed potent symbols in her powered hair,

then crossed to the village square

where the new leader’s inauguration was to take place.

A white dove flew beside her and landed in her hands.

She entered with the bird,

carried in crossed arms,

And walked bravely to the village center.

Too many of those she loved

cultivated their war-ing parts;

she knew

continued struggle would maim and weaken everyone’s hearts.

The dove carried as a gift was anointed for the other side,

Ama prayed for healing as she walked towards the circle

with grounded pride.

The air frantic and frenzied

spawned a righteous cloud

as her village applauded loud.

3.

The crowds hushed as the older women

entered the ceremonial grounds

All watched as the new leader and the medicine women stood silently together,

each breathing the other in.

Both thought,

“Soon the games will begin.”

Ama handed over the bird as blood.

And before the avian in the others hand did land,

The bird shot sky ward up!

And darted and disappeared from high

and came shooting down

from the darkened sky.

The encircled crowd gathered,

tightly bound all gasped!

For instead of dove, in it’s place a hawk now flew

And from it’s beaked lips a piercing worded cry as omen spewed:

“Embrace your darkest night

Gain insight

And know your actions from within!

Be compassionate with one another,

In shared waters live pieces of your skin.

Carrying sword and spear with warring intentions clear

is an old illness, a virus contracted centuries

ago and still remains in tact ergo.

Stories of security as defensive action

Will keep all stuck in malaise and traction.

Be warriors of spirit

all will clear.

Take time to

cultivate what is dear.

Hear the others heart.

Listen to the others heart.

(The bird cried twice.)

This will change ill wind.”

And then the hawk disappeared.

I wish I could tell you everything changed in the village that day.

I wish I could tell you everything shifted.

I can tell you

the birds words were clear.

I am text block. Click edit button to change this text.

Card #3

Metallic star ship
in the sky
shaped a bit like an eye.

Guidance systems tracking
a calming purr
engines a soundless whirr.

Crossing orbits
at unfathomable speed
portals suspended
among good deeds.

Far in the distance
space rivers at play
galactic waves rocking ship
at the end of Jupiter’s day.

Between worlds
a spotted apparition lurks
black and white dots
the  jeweled ship jerks

“Looks Un-menacing.” the captain blurts.
Astronauts settle down for the night
outside black holes no light

Ship floundering while pilots dream
Vessel wobbles and bucks at the seam

Distress from instrument’s controls now clear.
Warning lights flashing,
Danger (!)
collision is near!!

Systems in place speaking out loud:
“Stay away from that black and white cloud!”

Will warp speed engines save the craft from destruction?
Will astronauts awake from slumbered malfunction?

Ship screeching
pulled now to a stop.
emergency system
spinning like a top
Ship gains momentum

ZOOM!

Has the craft been saved from the veiled vacuumed doom?
(reader now part of unknown spell)
All depends on who tells..

Card #2

Light streamed in
wordlessly.
Disciplined photons
unattached to meaning,
seeped into the underbelly of
everything,
nothing was left untouched.

New light brought new language,
Old altars no longer anchored
were airless;
structures cart-wheeled,
and tumbled like weeds,
and came crashing down.

When the old dream collapsed
memories oozed from shards of fallen and broken fabrications;
absorbed and mulched by the earth
memories laid fertile ground.

Sacred space seeds
imprinted with faces of all angels
were flown in from new galaxies.
Specially engineered and infused with star light,
the seeds fell and planted in the debris,

Deities sprang up!
They rose and dressed in new clothes.

New altars were built.
Reassembled archetypes were
remembered and placed on pedestals
consecrated and well constructed,

no one was forgotten.

And the world began again.

·
Story for Card # 1 Leaf Song

1.

A small man wearing a grey hat walked the old great forest. He carried one leaf. No one knew how long he had walked or how heavy the bundled was that he carried. Time and weight in this place was unmeasurable.

The leaf had once been part of an ancient bush fed by dream and fabricated by elders from the in between.

Medicine men and women from this region still remembered the plant’s song and how to hum back to it’s origins.

Many moons ago the elders had circled a fire and listened deeply to the flames.
Crackling hot embers had spoken. The fire fore told those who listened that the time of the great shattering neared.

2.

The man in the grey hat, had protected and carried the leaf through rain, night, day, and storm and sun. Stars had twinkled him to sleep. And butterflies and bees lulled and whispered him on his way.

His shoes were worn and his skin became part of everything he had seen and done; the dust and determination in his eyes were now one. The road had been written so long ago all he had to do was follow the trail.

Finally he came to the forest’s edge. He rested.
Here he unwrapped the green prize and held it to his heart.
Prayers pierced his lips and songs danced his feet.

The medicine contained in the leaf must be woken and made potent first.
He reconstructed the forgotten song.
He sang and whistled and trees danced along for three days.
And then…

The leaf woke up! and vibrated with the sound well sung and also began to sing along.
And Invisibly leaf stuff un-tethered seeped into the fibers of the world.

It was time.

3.

The woken leaf’s dream shook free and snaked sky ward, infused with mist and dew.
And into the breath of wind it flew.

If you had eyes that could see these things,
you would have been treated to luminous fire trails as wings
shooting sky ward zooming into cloudless tails.

Water droplets formed and turned into shimmery orbs,
falling back to earth as droplets,
burst and scattered upon impact and dispersed.

Rain dripped onto all colors of skin
Awaking kindness from deep within.

People woke up,
as if from a long long sleep.
And were given permission to dream again.

All remembered we were part of the same song,
began by earth and star.

Once again everything living
was mirrored and
reflected on skin.

and nothing was not living in their bones.

Wars stopped.
And flowers bloomed.
And kindness reigned.
And thus it was.
Green to Blue
Red to brown
Yellow to White
All leading back to black and that mysterious night
when
shadows came to light.