Saturday, January 23, 2016

Lost in Garden of Phaethousa

Lost in Garden of Phaethousa
© Surazeus
2016 01 23

Three ravens swoop from swirling clouds of rain
and land on twisted limbs of ancient oak
to watch young sorceress in white lace dress
who gazes dazed in pond of sparkling stars.

Phaethousa holds triangle cast from bronze
she used to measure curve of rainbow beam
that leads her path from garden of bee hives
to mirror door that hides her mental maze.

Plucking dead orchid from cracked jar of ice,
Phaethousa sails rowboat across lagoon
past three thousand islands where blind girls weep,
and writes their names in book of formulas.

While each girl hangs mask of her face on tree
of rotten apples, and places both eyes
in gold grail on Round Table of blind knights,
Phaethousa leads them by hand to wheat field.

First raven flies to white juniper tree
where Phaethousa plays tunes on stringless harp
and smiling boy places egg in her hand
though he swims in lake of her weeping heart.

Second raven flies to amethyst throne
where Phaethousa tends flame in stone lighthouse
and watches through swirling storms for lost ships
since her mother is Sun Spider again.

Third raven flies to young dancing pear tree
where Phaethousa draws in leather-bound book
instructions for building garden of clouds
to preserve galaxies in her crystal moon.

Last raven flies to old lime tree that sings
hymn of creation carved on mountain cliff
where Phaethousa paints face of every soul
who ever existed on mirror sky.

Phaethousa cradles baby in her arms
who watches her with seven glowing eyes,
and whispers, you are my daughter I made
from flash of light I found in Sea of Eyes.

Old bearded man who steps from broken door
extends withered hand to present from Death
jewel that reveals dreams we all try to hide,
so Phaethousa gives him glass of orange juice.

I discovered while looking at my face
in lake of stars, he explains while he smiles,
I cannot exist because my true soul
remembers when vast universe flashed real.

Catching flicker of lightning in her eye,
Phaethousa turns her head in time to see
Icarus fall in sea of dreaming eyes,
then transform into boy with beating heart.

Young sorceress who opens seventh eye,
that helps her see every world full of life,
dives in lagoon of starlight and swims down
to bottomless abyss at core of time.

Standing before every person alive,
on ziggurat of Ishtar come again,
Phaethousa sings, I feel in rays of light
every moment of your sorrow and joy.

We wake and break from eggshell of desire
to follow light that gleams in starless sky
and gather around Ziggurat of Truth
where Phaethousa holds Lamp and Book of Life.

Lost in Garden of Phaethousa, we
who were born in mortal flesh lift our hands
and sing sweet hymn of creation and death
then merge into each other with new names.

No comments:

Post a Comment