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The Crimson Forest
~~~{ The Crimson Forest }~~~
Part One: Beyond the Flesh
One afternoon, I did perchance to fall into a dark-some slumber...
And, in that sleep, I found myself no longer of flesh encumbered.
Spirit-clad, I wandered past a farmland where the corn grew tall,
As two ravens clawed a scarecrow, just beyond an old stone-hewn wall.
Were they two the same as sat upon old Odin's shoulders strong,
Back in the days when gods taught us to sing their ancient songs?
Alone I passed them as I entered a forest thick with shadows dark,
As a fog of crimson hue did cling about the trees, and briars sharp.
Blood red was the primeval air, and whitest the snow on cliffs above,
Where no man climbed, nor woman, but there flew a solitary dove.
Alone I walked, yet I thought I spied my mother's shade at my side,
And comforted by her spirit, I found strength in me did swift abide!
Part Two: The Darkness Within
Fearful was my mother's shade, as we continued in that odd place,
Which she called the Witches' Wood, her words filled with a grace.
And I knew this wood symbolized those martyred in Salem long ago,
When sinless folk were guilty found, and killed in a time of true woe.
I have been a heretic in the eyes of the Church, more oft than not,
And so to this place my soul was drawn by bonds I had not wrought.
Along a rugged trail, thicker growing the brush with each step I took,
I neared the center of the crimson forest, and saw my mother's look.
A fear was in her eyes, for in the center was a darkness oh so deep,
That no light could penetrate its' depths, nor into the confines creep.
She fled from my side, and I alone was left to ponder the maelstrom,
As living shadows writhed into, and from, the dark core; like worms.
Part Three: Blood Red and Snow White
Braving all, I entered the darkness and heard my heart beating loud,
As the haze of the blood red fog and the darkness formed a cloud.
Tree branches and briars reached for me, and things more evil still...
When suddenly, a bolt of lightning carried something with divine will.
From Heaven to Earth, a being of light was she, with flesh like ivory...
Her eyes aglow with pale blue fire, her face lit by the flame of destiny.
Hair blowing upward, she pointed to me and I knelt before this being;
She was wisdom incarnate, and then I saw so much without seeing!
A stone tablet was given into my hands: by this goddess most bright.
As her words assured me that it would keep me safe in darkest night.
Then she went back to the stars, and tablet in hand, I walked slowly,
Beyond the darkness, where the forest continued with its' symmetry.
Part Four: The Path of Wisdom
Once more, my mother appeared by my side, and saw my tablet there;
I gazed upon it and beheld no words nor script, but black stone, bare.
My mother asked me what it meant, and I threw the stone far away...
For all the wisdom I may want was within me, and at my side that day.
As if I had unlocked the riddle of the dream, my mother faded at last,
Leaving me to walk along, having understood so well, wisdom's path.
I knew a higher power was with me, guiding my feet with each step...
And soon the blood-red fog was lifting, from the woods where it crept.
The path was far less crooked now than when I began the lonely road;
As a snow-white owl watched over me, my heart gave up every load.
I awoke from that wood to see the world with eyes so fresh and clear,
Knowing that a loving deity need not be distant; Wisdom is ever near
Part One: Beyond the Flesh
One afternoon, I did perchance to fall into a dark-some slumber...
And, in that sleep, I found myself no longer of flesh encumbered.
Spirit-clad, I wandered past a farmland where the corn grew tall,
As two ravens clawed a scarecrow, just beyond an old stone-hewn wall.
Were they two the same as sat upon old Odin's shoulders strong,
Back in the days when gods taught us to sing their ancient songs?
Alone I passed them as I entered a forest thick with shadows dark,
As a fog of crimson hue did cling about the trees, and briars sharp.
Blood red was the primeval air, and whitest the snow on cliffs above,
Where no man climbed, nor woman, but there flew a solitary dove.
Alone I walked, yet I thought I spied my mother's shade at my side,
And comforted by her spirit, I found strength in me did swift abide!
Part Two: The Darkness Within
Fearful was my mother's shade, as we continued in that odd place,
Which she called the Witches' Wood, her words filled with a grace.
And I knew this wood symbolized those martyred in Salem long ago,
When sinless folk were guilty found, and killed in a time of true woe.
I have been a heretic in the eyes of the Church, more oft than not,
And so to this place my soul was drawn by bonds I had not wrought.
Along a rugged trail, thicker growing the brush with each step I took,
I neared the center of the crimson forest, and saw my mother's look.
A fear was in her eyes, for in the center was a darkness oh so deep,
That no light could penetrate its' depths, nor into the confines creep.
She fled from my side, and I alone was left to ponder the maelstrom,
As living shadows writhed into, and from, the dark core; like worms.
Part Three: Blood Red and Snow White
Braving all, I entered the darkness and heard my heart beating loud,
As the haze of the blood red fog and the darkness formed a cloud.
Tree branches and briars reached for me, and things more evil still...
When suddenly, a bolt of lightning carried something with divine will.
From Heaven to Earth, a being of light was she, with flesh like ivory...
Her eyes aglow with pale blue fire, her face lit by the flame of destiny.
Hair blowing upward, she pointed to me and I knelt before this being;
She was wisdom incarnate, and then I saw so much without seeing!
A stone tablet was given into my hands: by this goddess most bright.
As her words assured me that it would keep me safe in darkest night.
Then she went back to the stars, and tablet in hand, I walked slowly,
Beyond the darkness, where the forest continued with its' symmetry.
Part Four: The Path of Wisdom
Once more, my mother appeared by my side, and saw my tablet there;
I gazed upon it and beheld no words nor script, but black stone, bare.
My mother asked me what it meant, and I threw the stone far away...
For all the wisdom I may want was within me, and at my side that day.
As if I had unlocked the riddle of the dream, my mother faded at last,
Leaving me to walk along, having understood so well, wisdom's path.
I knew a higher power was with me, guiding my feet with each step...
And soon the blood-red fog was lifting, from the woods where it crept.
The path was far less crooked now than when I began the lonely road;
As a snow-white owl watched over me, my heart gave up every load.
I awoke from that wood to see the world with eyes so fresh and clear,
Knowing that a loving deity need not be distant; Wisdom is ever near
Published 6th Jan 2012
| Edited 27th Sep 2012
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