TWO NIGHT POEMS

 I am writing after a long absence. I have been thinking about old stories and how they have affected us, whether we believe them or not. Most particularly I have been thinking about the Cosmic War, a terrible and very old story that has influenced our civilizations from India to England, and has caused no end of pain and violence. There is no Cosmic War. There is no Satan and no hell and no group of people is our implacable spiritual enemy. 

Recently I did Rune readings at a local mind, body and spirit fair. This revived a previous practice of public readings. I never made much money, but it was delightful being able to talk to people about truths that don't usually surface. I want to do it again. It also got me thinking about the other Shamanic practices I can do for people. 

I also need to make the usual statement about AI. I have heard from two women I know who write, that they like using AI (by which I think they mean LLMs) because it makes them feel less alone. I respond, but writing is an alone thing. And writing is hard. Thinking (for me at least) is hard, dammit. Growing through creation is hard. And it is an alone thing. That is one of the hard things about it. 

I will not use AI even in job hunting or business emailing. My emails now state that I am not using AI, and I do this partly because I write in a fairly formal style which could be mistaken for AI. 

Anyway, I mentioned two night poems so here they are. Both of them refer to bodies of cultural knowledge and old literature. 

 

 MOON

Moon, she lies lazy on her back

Growing fat

With our dreams,

With the tides of women

With the maddest desires.

 

Moon, he is the jewel in the chariot.

He is the home of the worst of the Gods.

He is the bane of Babylon,

And the light in the palm of my hand.

 

YEW

I am acquainted with a Yew Tree.

Yew is the throat behind the teeth of graves.

Yew is the damp sentinel of fog and midnight,

The giver of fumes, and death, and

In season, bright berries.

Yew is the trip down –

Ready or not, Yew doesn’t care –

Yew already knows.

 

July 2026