Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Poem: "What the Statue Says"

This poem came out of the August 3, 2010 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from minor_architect and sponsored by laffingkat.


What the Statue Says


Go to the town of Pharai
where the statue of Hermes the Messenger
stands in the marketplace.

Wait until evening comes
and blue shadows wrap the statue,
and the busy crowd begins to thin.

Then burn your incense,
leave your coin on the altar,
and whisper your question in Hermes' ear.

When you climb down,
cover your ears with your hands,
and walk quickly out of the square.

Uncover your ears,
and the first words you hear
will be the Messenger's reply.

But take care
what you ask of the gods,
for their answers are always the truth.
Tags: cyberfunded creativity, fishbowl, magic, paganism, poem, poetry, reading, writing
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  • 4 comments
eseme

eseme

August 8 2010, 23:34:44 UTC 10 years ago

I really like this method of divination. You have a number of very unique ones in your poems. I like all the steps in this one.
ysabetwordsmith

Thank you!

ysabetwordsmith

August 9 2010, 01:41:54 UTC 10 years ago

I'm pleased with how the diversity of divination methods turned out. It was fun to see all the different kinds that people requested!
laffingkat

laffingkat

August 9 2010, 01:25:23 UTC 10 years ago

Ooh, I like this! It flows well, has some nice imagery, and a great warning at the end.
ysabetwordsmith

Thank you!

ysabetwordsmith

August 9 2010, 01:39:49 UTC 10 years ago

I'm glad you like it.

Too often, people take divination a little too casually. This is bad enough with ordinary magical tools, but if you do that when you're talking with deities it can be a disaster. Think before you ask.