Merlin

O Merlin in your crystal cave
Deep in the diamond of the day,
Will there ever be a singer
Whose music will smooth away
The furrow drawn by Adam's finger
Across the meadow and the wave?
Or a runner who'll outrun
Man's long shadow driving on,
Burst through the gates of history,
And hang the apple on the tree?
Will your sorcery ever show
The sleeping bride shut in her bower,
The day wreathed in its mound of snow,
And Time locked in his tower?

~~~~ Edwin Muir

"My Own Chimera"

I walked along through shaded wood,
And spied a fountain pure and good.
Tasting sweet like the freshness of spring,
I knew I must have stumbled into a dream.
……as the cool water slid down my throat.

Lying still in the mossy grass,
Beneath a blue sky of tinted glass.
Suddenly it struck me, the glass was my eyes
In stillness I was frantic because I realized.
…..The magic fountain was tainted.

Creatures small with leaves for shoes.
Danced around my head with mind numbing tools.
Whispering lyrics to age old psalms,
Trying to quiet my raging qualms.
…..as I slipped into deceptive sleep.

Visions appeared, my own *chimera,
Explaining things you only dream of.
Floating along, useless to resist,
A tale they told within the surrounding mist.
….and carried me to Avalon.

Upon reaching the *Insula Pomorum,
I resisted the urge to turn and run.
So entranced was I, by the maidens nine,
I allowed them to reach me in their state sublime.
…..Under the watchful eye of Morgan.

Fruits unparalleled were offered me,
And I sat quiet under ancient tree.
The tales of Arthur they did incite,
The sword Excaluber and its glorious knight.
……their longing to be remembered poignant.

The last thing I recalled of my trip,
Was the hopeful eyes aloft in the mist.
I knew at once they belonged to Morgan Le Fay,
Queen of the Isle and of her day.
……the sadness she imparted tore at me.

Upon awaking in the leafy wood,
I spied an old stump where the fountain had stood.
While waiting for reality to explain my visit,
Upon this stump I thought to sit.
…..realizing at once it had not been a dream.

A thousand stories still sleep in the shadows,
A thousand more from memories rose.
Morgans message to me had been thus,
Please, with all your technology don’t forget us.
……and this I promised her.

So if you are ever weary of city traffic.
The state of the union and gang riots tragic.
And if you are lost in your own private wood.
Look for the fountain and the water sweet and good.
……the Lady of the Lake will transport you.

COPYRIGHT ©1998, Deborah Naftzger-Clowes aka Sister Ulv
All rights reserved.

(authors note: *Insula Pomorum: "isle of apples".
*chimera: "reverie; fantasy; illusion")




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