The Muses who inspire do not abandon me;
round the clock they tick, sparked heartbeats
that draw the world ever closer in varied splendor:
morning’s cooled dew in Summer,
pink snow of sunrise in Winter,
the earth-toned blanket of Fall,
and the creeping green of Spring.
At dusk’s change of shift, I listen for the wings
of Mother Night as she travels through portals
to and fro, bringing messages from home.
Last night she showed me a shark’s tooth and said,
“When the shark swallows its tooth, it eats itself
from the inside.”
An aura of infinite mysterious wisdom shines in
paradoxical yet complete knowing, a belief
system that cannot be shaken, in my bones;
it’s a deep knowing that, despite all ugliness
and in appreciation for all beauty, there
is redemption — hope ever-flowing
through the 10k things. Look into
the heart of a rose and you’ll see.
Notes:
♦“Mother Night” and “messages from home” are both terms used by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola-Estes in her Mother Night series of lectures.
♦The “10k things” or 10,000 things is a daoist term that includes all-that-is.
♦image: “Flow” (2014,) by Helen Wells
Ingrid is today’s host of dVerse’ Poetics. Ingrid says:
For this challenge, I would like you to choose your muse. You can do this in any one of the following ways:
♦Write a poem invoking the Muse, and following in the long-established classical tradition.
♦Choose one of the nine Classical Muses and write a poem with her particular area of influence in mind (for example, choose Caliope and write a comedic poem)
♦Write a poem inspired by your own personal muse, whether that be an individual, a place, or anything else which fires your creativity. You can refer to your muse either directly or indirectly, but some form of reference to your muse as a source of inspiration should be included.
Tao Talk 
This is so powerful on so many levels — lyrically, dramatically … a wow!
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Monika thank you very much. It was written from the heart.
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Mother Night is also my muse. The shark tooth — wow! Very powerful and eloquent words. 🙏
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Very cool, MW. I wasn’t kidding about dreaming that. What I didn’t put in there is that I vomited the shark tooth up. To me that’s a huge message! Thank you for your comment.
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Wow!! What a dream and empowering message! You have refused to consume yourself and eat yourself alive over something in your life.
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❤
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I enjoyed your use of nature imagery to reflect the changing nature and depth of the muse.
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Thank you, T, glad you enjoyed it.
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Poignant! 🌹
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Thank you, Tricia.
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Your Muse poem is one of the most lovely, gently flowing I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.
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Helen, your comment is much appreciated. I got the warm fuzzies reading it. Thank you ❤
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Your muse is ever present Li. Beautiful poem and very inspiring
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Thank you, my friend.
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You’re welcome
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I love this poem of hope Lisa, and the fact that The Muses never leave you. I don’t think they leave me either: sometimes I just turn my back on them!
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LOL It happens!
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Mystical, lyrical and magical. Stay blessed, dear friend. ❤️
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Thank you, Punam, and you as well ❤
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🙏🏼❤️
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I was engrossed since the first word, Ms. Jade. This felt like a meditation, a tender call, a soft poem, but packed with power. The shark tooth gave me chills and the heart of a rose gave me peace.
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I’m so happy you connected with the poem, Rosemarie. It came from the heart.
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That is lovely, Lisa. Uplifting.
Which part is the heart of a rose? The middle of the flower?
❤
David
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It’s a metaphor, David. But feel free to look at the blossom and see if you can find the heart ❤
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Life as Muse. That seems about right. That’s a lovely painting too. (K)
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🙂 Thank you, my friend.
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A powerful and mysterious muse. I so love the quote in this part:
When the shark swallows its tooth, it eats itself
from the inside.”
I always believe in redemption.
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Thanks much, Grace. Glad you connected with the poem. Without hope of redemption things would get pretty grim, I think.
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great poem Li! 🙂 loved it!
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Thank you, Carol Anne 🙂 You’re reaching into the archives, I see.
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