Serpent’s Tale

The serpent grew wings–
emerging from the cosmic egg,
it became a bird.

Embracing the tree of life
and all of spirit’s progeny,
the serpent grew wings.

Beginning as a vast secret
of stars and swirling light
emerging from the cosmic egg

The serpent shed its skin
and imagined miracles.
It became a bird.

The NaPoWriMo prompt today was to write a poem about a mythical person or creature doing something unusual . My response is not exactly on prompt–I took a mythical creature but I reimagined it into hope instead of despair. As Brendan at earthweal says: let’s celebrate radical hope — that hope whose only basis is our faith in the wonder of life and our capacity to embrace it.

The form I used for the poem is the Cascade, one of Muri’s April scavenger hunt poetic prompts. I’d forgotten how much I like it–thanks Muri!

I did not have to look far into my Redon-inspired collages for a mythological subject. The stitched mandala is from my constellation series–this is the Phoenix, first published on Pure Haiku.

Your ashes illume,
cradled beyond day and night – 
great is the unknown.

34 thoughts on “Serpent’s Tale”

  2. the Cascade… looks like something I should try. I loved all the becoming in the poem. Thanks for sharing. and yes about this: “let’s celebrate radical hope — that hope whose only basis is our faith in the wonder of life and our capacity to embrace it.” Yes, let’s, please. We cannot afford to let the flame of hope die. Be well, I wish you miracles. (like see what happened in your poem?) He imagined and voila! a bird!Thanks so much.

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  3. Oh! OH! This is so very wonderful and the cascade was a perfect vehicle for these words… Then the art – especially the phoenix, I’m just – – – speechless with exhilaration!

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  8. A beautifully done, smooth and flawless Cascade. I discovered this form years ago at a place called One Stop Poetry, now defunct, and it is one of my favorites to write–you have taken myth at its magical roots and shown us why it is there. It made me think of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. As always, your art as well as your words provoke thought.

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    1. Thanks. I wasn’t thinking of Quetzalcoatl, but yes. Probably there in my subconscious, as I’ve collaged him too. I haven’t written a cascade in a long time, but I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.

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