When fire is used to protest this nonsense,
And love and rage are the words on the street.
When the whole world has entered an age of endarkenment,
Remember the story is not yet complete.
Build up a bower to house your glory.
A vessel of sanctuary nurtures the wyrd.
We are people of power and we’re making history.
Nothing is ever as bad as it’s feared.
Our ancestors stand with their hands on our shoulders,
And other world realms you just wouldn’t expect,
Appear to exist at the edge of the crisis.
So step up to the fire with love and respect.
Lisa Goodwin 3rd April 2021
Prompt from NaPoWriMo
This one is a bit involved, which is why I’m giving it to you on a Saturday. Today, I’d like to challenge you to make a “Personal Universal Deck,” and then to write a poem using it. The idea of the “Personal Universal Deck” originated with the poet and playwright Michael McClure, who gave the project of creating such decks to his students in a 1976 lecture at Naropa University. Basically, you will need 50 index cards or small pieces of paper, and on them, you will write 100 words (one on the front and one on the back of each card/paper) using the rules found here.
I didn’t follow the rules to the letter, but I did come up with a hundred words that describe my personal universe. A classic tarot layouthelped me to reveal the words I would work with to create a poem. I was delighted when fire came up because it is International Firewalking Day today. If you enjoy my work please like and share and if you wish, you can support my work and buy me a coffee.