I went to meet that savage creature
I have run from, lifetime after lifetime
the shape within the shadows
a creature of smoke and bared fangs.
I went to meet it at last
It took me into its vast arms,
and I kissed its terrible face.
And I thought I would die.
I thought I would be swallowed,
but I was not swallowed.
For that creature I thought
would devour me
returned my embrace.
I looked into eyes
soft and liquid, filled with tears
the eyes of a lonely child,
my own lost child,
my brother, my sister,
my lover, my mother.
And with great tenderness
Fear lay upon my breast, and slept.
What bound me for so long
flowed out of me,
my heart expanded,
and I found I could hold
the world entire
in my open arms.
I will make my arms a circle
I will make my heart a circle
I will walk all my sorrows,
all my fears Home.
I will walk
circles around them
until at last I find
that bright and spacious center
Come with me. Take my hand.
We will do it together
We will walk Home.
(1997)