The Give Away

I am the cave
who cradles the sacred
embers from the frigid momentum.

I am the embers
who patiently wait for spirit's
breath to stoke a flame.

I am the breath
who weaves a story
with its rhythm.

I am the story
who transmutes
all things given away.

I am the give away
reborn again,
and again,
and again.

I flow like water.

Each day.

~Words and sketch by Suzette Winona Summers©

I have been feeling the pull of the earth... the call to hibernate...to gather my strength and compost my experiences... It is that time... and soon it will be the time for new shoots to sprout forth from a dark nest. 

Synchronistically, I read this today on the Facebook page ShamanTube after I had already begun this poem:

 "It is in the Underworld...that seeds germinate and prepare for spring. Myths of descent and rebirth connect the soul's cycles to those of nature.”
― Terri Windling

Journeying Into the Darkness

Nails packed full with earth from digging
a nest in the breast of the mother,
I curl into the tightness of darkened space
where I surrender to dreams and nightmares
whose ribbons of teeth strip my spirit 
like flames through a hollow 
bone, burning off the remnants 
of curled flesh and ragged fears. I turn
into the shadow, nuzzle
into the warm oblivion, and wait
like a seed for the spring rain,
and the singing sun. The tiger turns
a circle, swooshes its tail
and pads away into the distant forest,
its glowing eyes alight with indifference.

By Suzette Winona Summers© 1/1/2014

This was a poem I was inspired to write in the early morning hours. A new year. After being ill on New Year's Eve, after diving deep into fears and anxiety, I awoke both physically and symbolically realizing that the "Tiger" of torment was working to set a part of me free. The mystery unfolds, and though it may challenge us, and push us to the limits, I choose to believe that it is love working to set us free. 

~ In love,
Suzette