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Poetry by Patricia Casey

The Transfiguration

When all my crying is done
I will flow in the flood of my tears
to the peak of the mountain
at the top of the world,
clasp the sun in my inflamed arms
until it burns my every fibre
and pour my passion on all creation.


making church


the temple
the offering
the incense
the hymn,
the prayer
the tambourine
the dance
is myself,


my heart is your church, my God.


Wild Blue Swan


Wild Blue Swan -
no fly,
climbed up trees
to sit in small birds little nests
'til shooed down - shy,
plopped to the earth again
and waddled waywardly.

Wild Blue Swan -
no swim,
dangled her wader in the water
'til truly good white swans giggled
so loud
that blushing purple, she
away turned and trundled.

Wild Blue Swan -
no mammy,
a lonely child abandoned also
by her daddy;
blue was a bold thing to be
in swanland.

But Wild Blue Swan was being
only what Wild Blue Swan could be -
bird of blue beauty.

Wild Blue Swan sang lavender
lovely songs
and told red rolling stories
to the dandelions
who clapped their leaves in glee.

Wild Blue Swan had
rabbity friends and squirrely chums,
laughing games not with birds
but creepy, crawly, hoppy, walky creatures
who loved Wild Blue Swan for
Wild Blue Swany she.


The Wages


When Rex replaced his severed head

upon his decapitated shoulders,

he realised war was a fool's game.


Covenant

Prayed I to God
forsake not me,
To me prayed She
forsake thee not thyself.


Impenetrable

She had the usual Saturday night
of Ritz, chips, sex and the taxi home,
but her emptiness was still whole.


In the Very Beginning was the Mother.
On the first day,
She gave birth to light and darkness.
They danced together.
On the second day,
She gave birth to land and water.
They touched.
On the third day,
She gave birth to the plants.
They rooted and took a deep breath.
On the fourt day,
She gave birth to land, sea, and air creatures.
They walked and flew and swam.
On the fifth day,
her creation learned balance and cooperation.
She thanked her partner for coaching
Her labour.
On the sixth day,
She celebrated the creativity of all living things.
On the seventh day,
She left space for the unknown.

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