SACRED CHAMBER POEM

grey and black and white

a twisted fog

a rainy day

a mug

hot tea

i drink the steam

and breath out a stream

of memories

the life i left behind

the cat i could not take along

the grandmother whose bed i snuggled into and whose body i held between my arms

her soft face and feathered hair underneath my fingertips

i was on my way to Jerusalem

i joke, another saint that never made it back to the holy city

like Moses banned to die

looking into the land that he had dreamt for

no man will ever enter my land again

my holy land

my land of love and emotion

my land of child-birth and devotion

twisted and knotted


fire and flame

Now, you know

Now, you cannot deny

I give birth to myself again

I re-create

That is my power, I am woman

And I bid you to enter, to enter my land

It is soft and moist and fertile

And I invite you to feast, to feast in my land

It is fruitful and plush

And I re-inhabit this body

I reclaim what was taken, what was stolen from me

And let you taste my desire, my hunger, my lust

for everything that was taken

and for one more thing that has returned

In praise and in prayer I lead you

to the chambers

of torture that i inhabited

and there

I lead you to where i planted tulips

and to where i braided jewels

and to where i painted birds

and to where out of ashes and smoke and desolation

i transformed

devastation into desire

and breathed life

back

down

into

my

sacred

chamber