Broken Silence

Soft, silken skin
Asleep on my breast
So tranquil and precious
The house lies in rest
Except for you and I, love
Alone in my room
I bask in this moment
Gone all too soon

You sit and you crawl
You stand and you run
The world is your playground
You’re having such fun
My curly-haired angel
So careless and free
Yet locked in your mind where
You can’t talk to me

They cry, “Mommy, Mommy”
The kids come to play
Their mothers all answer
And carry them away
In silence I hold you
So close to my heart
And hope you can hear me
Wherever you are

Doctors and teachers
Label you as they please
Discussing you case
In third person with ease
I carry a smile so
My tears won’t begin
As I let go of hopes and
Reality sinks in

Slowly your future
Takes shape in my mind
More questions to ask
No answers to find
‘Til one day the sun through
These dark clouds does peek
You open your mouth
You look at me and speak

They cry, “Mommy, Mommy”
Our kids in the street
We mothers collect you
Lift you off your feet
Don’t know how much more
You’ll be able to say
But “Mommy” alone will suffice for today

Five years of waiting
To hear your sweet voice
It still rings like bells
Makes my heart rejoice
The silence is broken
Now sprout those seeds
Of hope I thought lost
As you start to read

Read to me, Timmy
Your voice is my song
Your voice is a gift
So precious and strong
So many years of
Silence and strife
Are whispered away by
Your voice in my life

Read to me, Timmy
The book of your choice
Just read to me, love
And let me hear your voice

Boann and the Well of Segais

Boann and Bebhionn were as opposite as day and night, one as bright and vibrant as the sun, the other as deep and sensual at the night, both visions to behold. The sisters were always very close—and sometimes prone to mischief in their curiosity, for both were amazed by all manner of wonderful things in the world.

At the age of marriage, the sisters were courted by several men. Bebhionn was happily wed to Aed Alainn. The lovely Boann had caught the eye of the Keeper of the Sacred Well of Segais, Nechtain. Now, the Well of Segais was said to be full of the Waters of Inspiration and Knowledge, and only Nechtain and his three cupbearers were permitted to approach the Well, for one unbidden glance into the Well would, in the very least, strike the violator blind. While taking a walk one afternoon, Nechtain’s carefree path lead the two within distant eyesight of the Well. As beautiful as it was ancient, the Well was surrounded by nine hazel trees, heavily laden with the largest hazelnuts Boann had ever seen! When Nechtain realized where he had taken them, he hastily turned, and they began to walk away, but Boann’s thoughts remained on the Well.

For days, Boann dreamt of the Well and imagined all manner of life and gifts teeming within. She was driven to discuss her preoccupation with Bebhionn, whose eyes widened with wonder as Boann wove her imagery round her sister. Bebhionn, being happily married and uninterested in disfigurement, was easily swayed away from the curiosity that consumed her sister, and she left Boann with a warning to avert her thoughts as well.

One day while picking berries for a pie, Boann found herself once more within eyesight of the Well. She waited. She saw no one. She waited a bit more. Still, she saw none. She waited yet longer, and suddenly her stillness was broken when a splash echoed toward her from within the Well. And then another. She took a few careful steps toward the Well, and before her eyes, she saw a great salmon jump out of the Waters, shimmering in rainbows of sunlight, to eat of the hazelnuts on the trees surrounding the Well. At the sight of the magnificent fish, Boann forgot all about the warnings and dangers of the Well. She only wanted to see, for so inspiring were the Waters within that the mere echo of their splashing enraptured the mind.

Boann approached the Well with an awe and innocence that belied her age. She cautiously placed a hand on the side of the Well and peered in. In a moment’s instance, the Well began to shake and crack, and the Waters began to rise up in a great wave. Boann let out a shocked cry as the Waters whipped round, slashing her arm. Boann began to run. Behind her, the Waters continued to spiral round and round and finally slammed through the sides of the structure, shattering the walls of stone. Freed from their Ancient tomb, the Waters began to chase after Boann, erasing her footprints almost as fast as she made them.

On and on, across the breadth of the Island, the Waters pursued her until she finally leapt into the Sea, where she was caught by a surprised Manannan mac Lir. The Waters were calmly assumed into the Sea where they disappeared into the inky depths with a final, silvery flicker. Manannan, much surprised by the sudden disruption in his day looked toward the path where Boann had come, taking in the breathtaking view of a silvery river, almost laughing in its freedom and sparkling freely in the sunshine.

And so it was that Boann freed the Waters of Knowledge and Inspiration and brought them to the land.

Beauty Hidden in the Sands

Letters, Words,
Written on my heart,
Skin ink stabbed into a fragile countenance.
Each prick awakening the soul
As sensations travel down my spine;
Words echoing through my dreams.

Dust-covered desires are washed new
By waves of emotion
Once wading of a calm pool,
Now roused into a roaring sea.
Desires caught up in a storm of potential,
Of raging, unspoken words
Fighting to find their voice
Amongst the throes of their tumultuous,
Thunderous existence
While the gathering froth whirls round the rocks,
Compelled toward the shore by his breath,
Seeking order to their chaotic dance.

He whispers; he speaks; he shouts,
His voice ebbing and flowing as the tide
Through my consciousness.
The cadence slows, and I hold my breath
In silent anticipation as I am drawn out to sea,
Drowning in longing,
Building, mounting.

The cadence soars and so, too, do I,
Riding the cusp of waves of words as though I have wings
Ablaze with burning questions ignited by the embers
Of once dormant hopes for what may come to pass,
Even if time-touched moments alone,
Stolen and released once more into the steamy void between us.

When the words cease, I remain buoyed,
Softly floating on my sea of unrequited love,
Yearning to be washed upon the shore,
Though fearing that I shall remain buried there
As a misplaced or cast away treasure
Shimmering in the sun and
Waiting to be discovered
By he who will marvel to find
Such hidden beauty in the sands.

Chant for the Shining Ones

To Those who dwell on high
Mighty Gods and Goddesses
Join us at our Sacred Fire
Shining Ones, we honor You

High Ones, hear our words
As we sing praise to You
You who dwell in the loftiest peaks
Shining Ones, we honor You

Shine your blessings down
Grant us wisdom and truth
As we give to you your due
Shining Ones, we honor You.

Come Lie with Me

Come lie with me in the evening
As your day descends toward night
Come lie with me in the evening
Keep close in the waning light
Come lie with me in the evening
In peace and comfort, true
Let all your thoughts now melt away
As I lovingly yield to you

Come lie with me in the night
With candles burning low
Come lie with me in the night
Let your passions begin to flow
Come lie with me in the night
Then fall asleep in my arms
And I will heal your memories of hurt
of past and present harms

Come lie with me in the morning
While the grass is yet draped with dew
Come lie with me in the morning
Rise and be with me anew
Come lie with me in the morning
And prepare for the day to start
Then go forward with joy and contentment
With my love for you in your heart

Let Yourself Shine

I was never known for strength in my youth
It was so easy to hurt my pride
But as I've grown I've taught myself
To take it all in stride
It took some perseverance to learn
To stand on my own feet
After ten years of leaning on everyone else
I’m learning to lean on me
I lost myself, but now I've found
The strength to plant my feet in the ground
I’m looking at a brighter day


Chorus:
You gotta let yourself shine
Through the pouring rain
Let yourself shine
Let go of all the pain
Let go of the loss, let go of the longing
Leave your past behind
And let yourself shine.

I was brought up to be humble
My greatest teacher was shame
I know they did their best with me
So I don’t hold them to blame
I refuse to be a victim of my
Circumstances now
My head is up, my shoulders are back
And I'm ready to face the crowd
You picked me up and you let me fall
But I fought back and I’m standing tall
Ready for a brighter day

(Chorus)

I’m proud of who I am now
I owe it all to you
You pushed me until I broke into
Enough pieces to build anew
I hold no ill will toward you
In fact I wish you well
But I relish in our separate lives
And the freedom outside my cell
I was broken, bruised and torn apart
I’m mending the pieces of my heart
And looking at a brighter day—
And I owe it all to me

(Instrumental break/Chorus)

Hurt Fades Away

It’s peaceful here in my solitude
Solace came with sorrow subdued
My hope for the future has been renewed
As I find fading the loss of you

I wish I’d know the last time
We made love would be the last time
I’d abandon the pantomime
And drink in all of you

I’d memorize you looking down on me
In that moment of pleasure, so serene
Hindsight, unkind, knows that’s not what I’d see
By then, I no longer belonged to you.

I was already gone, in my heart and my head
So few words between us left unsaid
All we had grown together was dead
The hurt will fade, but never the memory of you.

My thoughts turn to other memories
Of discontent and faded glories
Of sad and melancholy stories
Of regret and brokenness I suffered for you

Myriad attempts I made in vain
To make you prove to me through my pain
That your love was real, but the truths remain
I was an extension of your love for you.

Hurt fades away as scars heal with time
Nothing to say as we move on alone
What was is gone, cut down in its prime
Time to move on, move on on our own