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“fear not for the future
weep not for the past”
the only advice my mother ever gave me…..
if she had known what i would do in the future
she would surely have wept
as young as four
i radiated a charisma
heralded as divine
i followed my intuition
never seeking permission
i prayed with wolves
to grant faith and understanding to humanity
i consulted with ravens
about omens and mysteries
i felt no need to conceal my actions
my father dismissed my beliefs as fantasy
my mother pretended nothing was amiss
some were certain it was deception or at least delusion
there were those who whispered it was daemonic
others worshipped me as though i were a god
indifferent to them all
i immersed myself in the arcana of the universe
until i understood my purpose
then i bade the ravens fly around the world
to gather every shadow, high and low
having no choice but to accede to my destiny
i swallowed the shadows brought to me
including those belonging to the ravens
until the darkness disappeared
and me with it
leaving the earth in light forevermore
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Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” read by James Earl Jones
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read the poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe HERE
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artwork ~ “Woman with raven” Pablo Picasso
{ fair use }
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go HERE for a very biased essay on the symbolism of ravens
including many Native Americans’ belief that ravens are the bringers of light
and HERE for the symbolism of wolves including representing deep faith
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this is my submission to ~
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The Poetics of Groundhog Day – Bright Shadow at dVerse ~ Poets Pub
prompt: Bright shadow
thank you, Karin!
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Carry On Tuesday #191 at Carry on Tuesday
prompt: a quote from the 19th Century poet and politician Percy Bysshe Shelley
“Fear not for the future
Weep not for the past”
{ use all or part }
thank you, Keith!
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Open Link Monday at imaginary garden with real toads
submit a new or old poem
thank you, Kerry!
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Poetry Pantry #135 at Poets United
submit a new or old poem
thank you, Mary!
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Prompt 258 at One Single Impression
prompt: Charisma
thank you, Joanne!
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Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 208 at Robert Lee Brewer’s Poetic Asides
prompt: write a “forever” poem
Thank you, Robert!
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i am also participating in ~
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I enjoyed this poem, Dani. I like the idea of swallowing the shadows. To me this translates to swallowing one’s fears….and sometimes, I think, this is the best way of overcoming them. Loved the ending, leavng the earth in light.
thank you so much, Mary! ♥ it took me longer to write than usual so i appreciate your feedback. {smile}
Deep, meaningful and a lovely touch of the Gothic.
thank you very much, Anthony! i appreciate your visit and kind comment.
We can only hope, if they had a bit of time,
like those we spend with friends
our parents would understand and embrace more of us
then we imagine.
Swallowing their shadows can leave even more light.
Nice write.
thank you so much, Sabio! much appreciated.
oh heck…disappearing with the darkness..fear not for the future
weep not for the past..is a wonderful advise though…
it is great advice, isn’t it? thank you so much for your visit, claudia! ♥
Such an interesting poem and story, Dani–a medieval, legendary aspect to it for sure – and the idea of a person being chosen as a vessel to consume darkness is a very archetypical one that works really well here. I wonder if you’ve ever seen the Ursula LeGuin books about Earthsea. There is a beautiful one called The Tombs of Atuan that describes the kind of cult around this.
The ravens work so well for it, and love your pic, and the humanity of the family around the child. Thanks for participating. k.
i have read “The Left Hand of Darkness” by LeGuin, but not any of the Earthsea series. i’ll have to check it out. the painting looks almost made for the poem. {smile} thank you for the wonderful prompt, Karin, and for your visit and kind comment. ♥
wow what a story…rather a fable or fairy tale…love the connection with the ravens…and the heart in eating all the shadows so the world could live in light….beautiful tale dani…
thank you, brian! i hope you know how much your comments mean to me!
I am an individual who follows the signs and symbols, so easily relate to your words. I find the feminine voice of the poem both individual and strong,
Elizabeth
http://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/in-my-own-space/
thank you so much for your visit and comment, Elizabeth. ♥
I love this share Dani, probably one of your best ~
I like the idea of embracing and swallowing all the shadows, until darkness disappeared ~ A very strong metaphor for our journey ~
you are so sweet, Grace! ♥ thank you! have a great week!
Wow! What an amazing journey; an incredible poem to take us along. To swallow all the shadows and leave the world in light. The sci-fi book I would read!! Thanks for this.
thank you, Judy! ♥ i really appreciate your visit and kind comment!
you write a lot in not so many words. Enjoyed this one and your pics are awesome. thanks for the visit to Old Grizz.
thank you for your visit and kind comment!
The poem caught my interest immediately. I love the ending and wish I could eat the shadows and leave the world in light. Good writing.
thank you, Myrna! ♥ much appreciated!
I wrote of the shadow swallower, too. This is much darker, more menacing, ala Poe, I suppose. Well done, Dani.
yours was far darker in its reality, though your ending was wonderful in her refusal to be a victim and taking control of her life. the shadow eater sentence from the earlier prompt did affect the direction i took in this poem. thank you for your visit and kind comment, Kim! ♥
I too love the image of swallowing the shadows and leaving the world in light.
Love this whole poem.
thank you so much, Louise! ♥ you’re very kind!
I loved this piece–and the story it tells–we are, some of us, in tune in a different way with what surrounds us. This piece spoke to me of those peple I have known
i have known several people with special connections to the universe. thank you so much for your visit and kind comment, Audrey! ♥
Another vote to the idea of swallowing the shadows !! I really enjoyed how you wrapped up the ending !!
thank you very much, Randy! i loved the ending of your poem, too!
it’s good when you can swallow the shadows and become something light
hades gate
oh, i agree! thanks so much for stopping by! ♥
You have given the ‘shadow’ a whole life of its own…as if it exists as its own being, and a commanding one at that. I like how you used the ravens and wolves in this piece as well. Strong write Dani.
thank you, Jennifer! ♥ you’re very kind.
I enjoyed the imagery throughout and your reference to the raven is refreshing. Nicely done!
thank you so much! ♥ i really appreciate your visit and kind comment.
wow wow wow
you’re so sweet, Emma! ♥ thank you!
A touch of the pagan, elements of non-conformity and ending it by swallowing the shadows and leaving light in its place. I enjoyed reading this :)
(I came here from Imaginary Garden With Real Toads)
thank you very much for your visit and kind comment! ♥
Haunting, Dani… beautifully written.
thank you very much, Laurie! ♥
I really enjoyed this mystical piece! Thanks for sharing it with us.
thank you so much, Belva! ♥ that was a great quote to start off with.
How I enjoyed this poem with its cadence and reference to the fantasy and fears of childhood and its dreams of being able to save everyone even though no one understands as well as to Poe (thanks for the JEJ reading of the Raven) . I am reminded of the “Dark is Rising” sequence by Susan Cooper as well as Madeleine Engels’s series of “Swiftly Tilting Planet” and etc. Children battle the dark with a wisdom adults must come to rely on.
it’s been forever since i read Madeleine Engels’ series! thank you so much for your visit and kind comment, Susan! ♥
I think this is my favorite of yours, Dani. Love the raven, the mythical nature of the poem and especially the ending where the world is left in light.
thank you so much, Sherry! ♥ it makes me happy that you like it!
Wow! You are a born story-teller, SP!
i take that as a great compliment coming from you, Sis! ♥ thank you!
A beautiful piece of knowing who you are from a young age and not veering from it…love the ending.
thank you, Susie! ♥ i appreciate your visit very much.
what a courageous girl. i hope we do have children with this kind of clarity, hopefully not to end in darkness themselves but yes the world needs some visionary action. perhaps we have her inside. =)
i felt that she was at the least a teenager, if not a young woman, by the time she accumulated enough knowledge to recognize her destiny. our world of today certainly does need some visionary action! i like the idea of having her inside! thank you very much for your visit and comment, lucy! ♥
It is all very dark !
I am not sure if I like dark!